Informal settlements on urban fringes in the cities of the Western Balkans region are a unique typology, somewhere between the rural, suburban and urban. Thier existence is a direct consequence of the failing transition from the centralistic, state-planning socialist system, to the market-oriented capitalist system. Lack of respect for building regulations - a response to decades of repressive state systems - have left many of these settlements without provisions or adequate infrastructure to face the challenges of the free housing market.

Youth living in the informal and semi-rural settlements often face poverty, limited access to quality education and therefore fewer employment opportunities. Public spaces are often neglected or substandard. To address these challenges in public spaces, Placemaking Western Balkans will develop several design toolboxes using in-house placemaking methodology knowledge, as part of the SPACE Erasmus + project. The aim to empower local youth in expressing their needs and co-creating their community spaces using the power of design and imagination.

SPACE project will empower youth using bottom-up planning processes to improve the accessibility, functionality, and diversity of public spaces in Western Balkan countries.

The project officially launched with a kickoff meeting on January 30–31, 2025, in Belgrade, Serbia, bringing together all project partners: Wonderland Architecture, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, New Horizon NGO , Placemaking Western Balkans , Universiteti i Prishtinës Environmental and Territorial Management Institute