Zagreb.Ilica 1:1

At 5,7 km Ilica is the third longest street in the city of Zagreb. It is a street full of stories and historical influences that are reshaping the form and exchanging between several stages of very dynamic life. Despite being the primary cause of morning traffic jams, it serves as the main connector of the western and eastern parts of the city. City blocks near the city centre exhibit better behaviour and are brimming with ground floor animations, contributing to the buzzy street atmosphere. The situation shifts rapidly after one kilometre with vacant ground floor sections and changing typology of unused spaces that are aesthetically pleasing but behave strangely. There is no space for bicycles, sidewalks become smaller and cars replace trams in areas that could be reserved for other users. This project aims to go more deeply into history, morphology and the street level environment of the street. What is Ilica telling us? How did things come to be as they are? Since each zone requires a different approach, the primary focus is on the different sequences and elements of Ilica. While in one zone we deal with the problem of undefined urban voids that appeal as urban mutants, in another we deal with vacancies, which present as potential social spaces and the missing street-level environment for healthy activities. After the analysis and data gathering, the project concentrates on establishing proper connection across various scales. It is time to change the urban ratio and let Ilica shine again! If not now, then when?