Research on Kotor City Squares

During the past few months, Expeditio conducted a research on Kotor city squares. The research is part of the project Revival of city squares Balkan cities, and its author is a sociologist Miomirka Lučić. The research on Kotor city squares treated some issues that are common subject of scientific and even ordinary conversation: how much people use the squares in general, what is the purpose of their usage, who determines or, rather, defines the strategy of public spaces organization and their use.

The aim of the Research on Kotor City Squares was to determine the current state of Kotor squares and public spaces and improve their handling and use in accordance with the ideas of their users, as well as to identify the key stakeholders responsible for the good or bad state of public spaces and provide guidelines that would take into account the needs and requirements of the respondents. The researched area included the Old City of Kotor, within the city walls, and its immediate vicinity (from Gurdić to Škurda, including the waterfront and market).

For the purpose of research, a questionnaire was developed, which was distributed in the Old City Kotor and placed on the website of EXPEDITIO. The research was conducted from February until April 2011.

By means of a field survey, the research included local residents, i. e., people who live or work in the area of Kotor squares, and those who visit the squares occasionally. The questionnaire, posted on the website, included all persons connected to Kotor in different ways, including those who do not live or work there.

The answers obtained by the research provide immediate and realistic picture of the respondents’ attitudes and opinions on the importance and significance of squares and public spaces for them. Although the issues that the research dealt with are the topics of discussions, they often remain confined to small circles and, thus, the obtained results show distinct cross-section of opinions and experiences of people who directly took part in the process.

The project “Revival of City Squares in Balkan Cities” aims to contribute to the revival of city squares as viable public places that foster cultural identity and promote diversity through enforcement of public policies and active community participation. It is conducted in partnership of the organizations Co-PLAN and U-Polis from Albania, the Coalition for Sustainable Development from Macedonia and EXPEDITIO, Montenegro. The project is funded by the Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans (SCP) under the Regional Cooperation Projects programme line.

In parallel with the research on Kotor squares, the partners in Albania and Macedonia are conducting researches on the city squares of Tirana, Durres and Skoplje.

Research on Kotor City Squares (386.47 kB)