Krížna Street

Through the means of the participatory process we would like to engage both the general and expert public and based on a joint discussion gather ideas, that would help to revitalize Krížna Street so it becomes a pleasant boulevard for both the residents and visitors.

Krížna Street is an important street that connects the Old Town and New Town city quarters and is a part of the Ružinov radial road. Thousands of people pass through this street on daily basis, either by tram, on foot or by other transportation means. Given the situation prior to the pandemic, the character of the street was changing, the lucrativeness of the quarter was growing, the shops and other businesses in the active ground floor responded to the needs of the residents and the people who work nearby or just walk through by providing a broader offer of products and services. Krížna Street has a high potential to become a pleasant city boulevard with attractive active ground floor, greenery and quality public space for users of all ages, with various specific needs and in various economic situation. We would like the street to become an arterial road for public transport with legal parking spots and a public space with greenery, safe conditions for the children, cyclists and pedestrians of all ages and with various health conditions.

Throughout February 2020 residents could fill out a questionnaire mapping how they perceive the street currently and how would they change it for the future. The questionnaire had almost 3,000 respondents out of which 1,700 provided their contact information either to be informed about further development of the project or to be involved again in further activities. In order to receive data about transportation behaviour, in February we conducted counting of the parked cars on the street and in the surrounding area along with the research of the parking capacity. We also investigated what transportation means residents utilize for various purposes (shopping, commuting to work, leisure, etc.) and for what purposes they use their car and where they park. Later in spring we lead inspiring interviews with senior residents and other people who have various needs related to physical movement and orientation, for example parents with children, people in wheelchairs, with crutches or those who have visual or hearing impairment. The scope of the interviews was to identify the issues these residents have while moving through the city and what qualities should a public space have, given their needs. We have chosen the vulnerable group of residents as a target group, because when the street will be accessible to them, then it will be accessible for everyone. We regularly informed on how to get involved on MIB social media and official webpage.

Once a phase of the participatory process was completed, we have shared the outputs and findings with the working group at the city municipality office, which together with the project architect prepared the project documentation for the Ružinov radial road reconstruction. For example, we shared the data on the number of cars and results of the questionnaire. However, Krížna Street area is limited and the transport corridors (pavements, car lanes, tram route) have to meet certain norms, therefore the experts carefully evaluate the options on how to design the remaining space, so that it serves not only as a means of transit, but also as a residential area meeting the expectations of both the area and city residents to be a pleasant, green and safe space.

Krížna Street is a home for hundreds of residents and thousands of them pass through it or utilize the services it provides. Many of them expressed their opinions in the questionnaires and meetings. Although the street has space limits and therefore not all residents’ expectations can be met, thanks to the ideas and data we have received, we were able to identify the needs that the space should reflect. Our attention was specifically targeted at the needs of those groups that usually do not attend the public hearings, i.e. senior residents, people with specific needs or mothers and fathers with children.