URBAN
TRANSFORMATION
PROJECT
SARAJEVO
Projekat Urbane Transformacije Sarajevo
About the UTPS and the role of ETHZ
The Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo supports the modernizing of the urban planning in the Canton of Sarajevo by proposing a digital decision making Design tool for planning the city over the next 30 years. Through its different initiatives and work, the project contributes to the revitalization of Sarajevo and to creating better conditions for a sustainable and climate-resilient economic development.
The multifaceted project includes a recently established work and event space «Urban Design Studio Sarajevo»; a decentralized research, data collection and educational laboratory «Studio Mobil»; a Digital Twin of the whole City of Sarajevo; small-scale and prototypical architectural interventions; teaching at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and the University of Sarajevo; and a recently established eCity Action Lab that allows citizens to help map the current state of the city, its development process and their ideas for the city.
the UTPS actors
Presenting the different stakeholders that are involved
As a multi-stakeholder project developed between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sarajevo Urban Transformation Project brings together the ETHZ, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Sarajevo Canton Institute of Development and Planning, and the University of Sarajevo, among a myriad of partners at every scale.
Collaborators
ETH Zürich
ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities in science and technology. It was established in 1855 as the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School. The Architecture Department is one of the founding departments at the ETHZ.
The ETHZ team consist of team members from the following main institutions: The Chair of Architecture an Urban Design, who has the lead over the project from the side of the ETHZ; the Laboratory for Energy conversion, which developed the ENERPOL software; Swiss AI AG, an ETHZ spin off company established in April 2020, which owns the proprietary licence for the ENERPOL software.
ETHZ has been engaged in Sarajevo since late 2014, through a series of conferences, exhibitions, and applied research initiatives. In 2016, SECO supported ETHZ’s invitation to the Venice Biennale of Architecture with the first ever country pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within the framework of SECO’s economic development cooperation, from November 2018 until July 2019 ETHZ undertook a Scoping Study in close collaboration with CSIPD and UNSA for the preparation of the Urban Transformation Project. During the Scoping Study a series of teaching, research and conference activities and events were organised between Sarajevo and Zurich.
Find our more…
UNSA
The University of Sarajevo is the largest and oldest in Bosnia, its early roots dating back into the early 16th century. The Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo was founded in 1949. Today, the Faculty counts over 4500 graduates. Find out more...
CSIPD
The Canton Sarajevo Institute of Development Planning was established in 1954 under the name Urban Planning Institute of the City of Sarajevo. It is since responsible for the following tasks: planning of the spatial and socio-economic development of the Canton; drawing up, keeping and making available for permanent public inspection spatial planning plans and providing expert opinions and information in the process of issuing urban approval, in accordance with the law; operation and development of the geographic information system of the Canton, which refers to the competencies of the Canton in the field of development planning; carrying out other professional tasks established by law and other regulations, decisions of the Cantonal Government and the Cantonal Assembly. Find out more…
Consortium
urbaplan
urbaplan is an urban planning office with its main office in Lausanne, serving as a consultant and strategic advisor in the UTPS. Find out more...
enova AG
ENOVA is a leading multi-disciplinary development consulting company with a staff of 35 full-time professionals. The company has more than 15 years of experience in environment, energy, and economic development studies. Enova headquarters are located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the company has also established a representative office in Belgrade, Serbia, with successfully implemented projects through-out the region. The largest portion of its business portfolio has been associated with projects supported by international development and finance institutions such as the World Bank (WB), EBRD, IFC, USAID, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, SIDA and the European Commission. Enova possesses excellent knowledge about the specific conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region and has already been dealing with a range of challenging environmental and development projects in the public and private domain. Find out more…
Helvetas
Helvetas is committed to a just world in which all people determine the course of their lives in dignity and security, using environmental resources in a sustainable manner. Helvetas is an independent organization for development based in Switzerland with affiliated organizations in Germany and the United States. Helvetas supports poor and disadvantaged people and communities in almost 40 developing and transitional countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Together with their partners, Helvetas tackles global challenges at various levels: with projects on the ground, with expert advice, and by advocating for conducive framework conditions benefiting the poor. This triple commitment is empowering people and transforming lives. Helvetas follows a multi-stakeholder approach by linking civil society actors, governments and the private sector. Find out more…
Partners
SECO
The UTPS is enabled and managed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. Find out more…
City of Zurich + Sarajevo
A cooperation agreement between the City of Sarajevo and the Office for Urban Development at the City of Zurich was signed in form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the end of 2017. The agreement foresees future collaboration centered on knowledge transfer and capacity building (in particular, the sharing of best practices derived from successful projects in Zürich). Find out more about Zurich… Find out more about Sarajevo…
Matica BiH
MATICA Bosnia and Herzegovina is a society for collecting, researching, processing, publishing and presenting the cultural and historical heritage of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Find out more about Matica…
the UTPS team
The people behind the institutions
Dr. Michael Walczak
Dr.techn. Michael Walczak has studied architecture and graduated in 2021 with distinction from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna for his interdisciplinary doctoral studies. Michael has bridged his work with the ETH Zurich Institutes Chair of Architecture and Urban Design, Laboratory for Energy Conversion (LEC) and the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) Urbanization Research Incubator. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Digital Urban Imaginaries: Digital models transforming citizen-centred design processes” and received the state prize „Award of Excellence“ from the Austrian Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research for one of the best dissertations. The research resulted in the co-development of commercialized software “Enerpol” for large-scale urban simulations coupled with data-driven analysis. Michael is currently a Post-Doctoral researcher at the ETH Zurich Chair of Architecture and Urban Design leading the Sarajevo Urban Transformation Program.
Prof. Hubert Klumpner
Hubert Klumpner is an architect and co-founder of the interdisciplinary design practice, U-TT. As Design Principal and CEO of Zurich based Urbanthinktank_next, he is counted among the originators of the turn to socio-environmental design – a movement that had its international breakthrough with the exhibition, ‘Small-Scale Big Change – New Architectures of Social Engagement’ at the MoMA in New York City in 2010. Klumpner is full Professor at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich, ETHZ, where he holds the Chair of Architecture and Urban Design, directs the Center for Housing (Wohnforum), and the Network City Landscape (NSL), and serves as the UN-Habitat University Hub for Informal Housing.
Dr. Marco Pagani
Marco was born in Mendrisio, Switzerland, and obtained his Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering, with Focus on Energy, Policy and Turbomachinery, at ETH Zürich in 2015. Before starting his PhD, he explored the topic of energy conversion by completing technical internships at the Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion at EMPA Dübendorf, at the Gas Turbine Repair Network of Alstom AG in Baden and at the Technical University of Lappeenranta (Finland). His doctoral dissertation, titled “The Role of Individuals in the City-Scale Energy Transition: An Agent-Based Assessment” was conducted at the Laboratory of Energy Conversion of ETH and supervised by Prof. Dr. Reza Abhari. In his work, he addressed the technical and financial challenges associated with undertaking the energy transition at the scale of cities, with a focus on the City of St. Gallen. Since 2021, he has joined the Klumpner Chair, currently supporting the Urban Transformation Program Sarajevo as Data and Digital Modelling Specialist.
Nadine Fankhauser
Nadine was born in Basel and studied architecture at ETH Zurich. She completed her Bachelor’s project in the urbanism studio of Prof. Paola Viganò at EPF Lausanne as part of the campus wide transformation project, for which she created The Sourcium – an Atrium for Open Space Practices in a participatory way as an attempt to translate virtual practices of scientific and social exchange into real public space.
Nadine is part of the Urban Future Young Leaders Academy, a global education and consulting collective in the field of sustainable urban development. She is also engaged with Engineers without Borders Switzerland (IngOG+), an NGO working globally towards aiding and empowering disadvantages communities through engineering projects and active knowledge transfer.
Klearjos Papanicolaou
Klearjos is a filmmaker and researcher born in Mexico City and raised in Chile and the United States. He holds degrees in Philosophy and English Literature (BA 1st Class, University of Sussex), Sociology (MSc Distinction, London School of Economics and Political Science) and has studied filmmaking in Denmark (Diploma, European Film College). He specialises in urban and sensory ethnographic filmmaking.
He is a lecturer at the Chair, and PhD researcher. Since 2017 (and with Michael Walczak since 2019), he teaches the Elective course, ‘ACTION! On the Real City’, and has supervised over 100 student films that explore urban space on a variety of scales and conceptual registers.
Diogo Figueiredo
Diogo Rabaça Figueiredo is an architect born in Lisbon, Portugal, with a master degree from the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (AAM-USI) in Switzerland. He has worked on several international projects during his collaboration with the Herzog & de Meuron office in Basel, between 2011 and 2018. He joined Prof. Hubert Klumpner Chair of Architecture and Urban Design in 2019, collaborating with the ongoing projects in Colombia and he is currently the Teaching Assistant of the Chair Design Studio.
Alejandro Jaramillo
Alejandro is a Colombian architect graduated from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá. He completed the Master of Advance Studies (MAS) in Housing at the ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE research center in Zurich. His research focused on the challenges and achievements of internally displaced persons in returning to their places of origin and accessing adequate housing. He also has several years of experience in the design, management, and construction of public projects in Germany.
Flavia Reginatio
Flavia Reginato has a Bachelor in Visual Communication and Publishing, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Social Development in Public Spaces. With background experience in IT business development and public administration, she has worked as a project manager for large companies in Brazil, Germany and Switzerland. Flavia is responsible for the administrative side of things at the UTPS.
FORMER STAFF MEMBERS
Anne Graupner
Teaching Associate
Anne Graupner was working as a teaching assistant at the Chair until September 2023. Together with Diogo she led the ETH studio where she contributed with her wide range of skills and knowledge. She led and assisted students throughout their projects, also during multiple studios on Sarajevo.
Bojana Papic
PhD Candidate
Bojana Papic is an architect and was a PhD Candidate at the Chair where she brought in her broad knowledge. Especially in the Sarajevo project, as Bojana herself was born in Bosnia.
Prof. Adnan Pašić
Adnan Pašić was born in Zagreb in 1967. He studied architecture in Sarajevo from 1986 to 1991 when he started to work in the design team of his mentor, famous Yugoslav architect professor Zlatko Ugljen. During the military campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the age of 26, along with design team of civic engineers, he researched and designed the military barracks and campus from available rough wood. The acquired knowledge and design experience he continued to develop in 1998 as a visiting scholar at the MIT Department of Architecture. He is full professor of architectural design at the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Architecture where from 2008 he is a head of architectural design studio combining international academic engagement and research and design in the field of urban design and architecture of public buildings, interior and furniture design.
Tarik Delić
Born in Sarajevo in 1996, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo in 2019. He joined the Erasmus+ student exchange at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Stuttgart, in the summer of 2021. Currently, he’s working on his master’s thesis under Prof. Dr. Adnan Pašić’s mentorship on “Youth Center for Art and Recreation – Dobrinja, Sarajevo” at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo. Besides academic responsibilities, he’s a Project Assistant at Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo, and collaborating with Prof. Dr. Adnan Pašić on various projects.
Melika Konjicanin
Melika Konjičanin is born and raised in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She completed her International Baccalaureate (High School Diploma) from United World College Mostar. After, Melika received a Davis Scholarship to study in the USA, where she completed her Bachelor in Design, Major in Architecture from University of Florida. Finishing her class, as Summa Cum Laude, she was accepted and received a fellowship to study Master of Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon completion, Melika returned to her country of origins (Bosnia and Herzegovina), where she lives and works as a Teaching Assistant at University of Sarajevo, Department of Architecture. During her studies and professional experience, Melika contributed to variety of international projects and exhibitions, most notably the MIT Tajikistan Workshop on disaster mitigation strategies for rural populations that are at high risk due to the effects of climate change. This project was exhibited at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition Venice Biennale 2021. Melika works as a project assistant in Sarajevo Urban Transformation Project team since January 2023.
Jasmin Sirčo
Jasmin is a Bosnian architect based in Visoko where also has his own architectural office called Sinteza Arhitektura. Jasmin is the cordinator of the annual Days of Architecture in Sarajevo.
Dr. Dženis Avdić
Dženis Avdić is a Bosnian architect based in Sarajevo supporting the UTPS also with his local knowledge.
Dr. Nataša Tabori
Team Leader
Currently she is Assistant Director for detailed plans and technical preparation in the Sarajevo Canton Institute of Planning and Development, and lecturer at International Burch University. Earned her doctorate in Engineering Sciences Spatial Planning at Vienna University of Technology, Master at La Sapienza University in Rome and bachelor studies at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Worked at Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa on the preliminary project for the ARS AEVI Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, and in the architecture studios in Jerusalem and Sarajevo. Published several articles and papers inspired by a leitmotiv – Sarajevo.
Edin Jenčiragić
Lead Urban Planning
Edin graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo in 1992. He currently holds the position of Assistant Director for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection at the CSIPD. He is the head of team for the development of Urban Plans in Sarajevo Canton, which are used as a basis for the UTPS. As a Urban planner, he worked on the development of more than fifty regulatory plans, and had the role as a Secretary of the Council for the development of the Spatial Plan of Sarajevo Canton. He participated in several design competitions, including the remarkable international competition for Sarajevo Concert Hall. He is currently a post-graduate student of the 3rd cycle-doctoral study at the Faculty of Architecture at UNSA.
Vedad Viteškić
Urban Planning
As an educated Master of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo, Vedad focuses his career on urban and spatial planning and soon thereafter he continued his MSc studies at the Institute for Housing and Social Science in Rotterdam, where he obtained the title of Master of Science in the field of Urban Planning and Management, with the focus on competitiveness and resilience of cities.
As a professional in the field of urban planning, at the Institute for Development Planning of Canton Sarajevo his current focus is on implementation of Urban plan for the city of Sarajevo – 2036 integrating various urban and spatial planning techniques.
Azra Krnić Tanković
Project Coordinator
Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azra studied architecture at the University of Sarajevo, with MA degree at the Department of Architecture Development. Since 2006. she has been designing mainly public spaces, and since 2015. she has been working at the Sarajevo Canton Institute of Planning and Development, first as a planner, then as Head of the department for the preparation of spatial planning documentation, and currently as an advisor at the Department of Urban Design. As a professional in the field of urban planning, at the Institute for Development Planning of Canton Sarajevo his current focus is on implementation of Urban plan for the city of Sarajevo – 2036 integrating various urban and spatial planning techniques.
Adnan Šabeta
Data & Modeling Specialist
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he finished first and second cycle of political sciences at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. He works in the GIS Sector in the Sarajevo Canton Institute of Planning and Development for more than twenty years. Currently he ts team member of UP team that works on drafting the Urban plans for urban territories of Sarajevo, Hadžići, Ilijaš and Trnovo in Sarajevo Canton, and as a member of UTPS team.
Damir Lukić
Urban Planning
Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Damir studied architecture at the University of Sarajevo. He worked as a Planner at the IPSA Institute at Department for spatial planning and architecture until 2016., and then as an Assistant director for development planning documentation at the Sarajevo Canton Institute of Planning and Development. He is currently Head of the Planning department for protected areas as a data and digital modeling specialist.
Ilda Tanjo
Environment
Ilda obtained a master’s degree in Ecology at the University of Natural Sciences in Sarajevo. While studying she was contributed to various non-governmental ecological organizations.
After completing a one-year Internship at Institution for Protected Natural Areas, she is starting her career at the Development Planning Institute as an Expert Associate. Due to the demand for the implementation of projects in the field of environmental protection, she started to actively contribute to the implementation of measures and activities related to waste management and air quality. Acquisition of sufficient work experience, in 2017, she became the Head of the Environmental Protection Service.
Dr. Ismet Krzović
Heritage
Born in Sarajevo, and spent his childhood in Visoko. Finished his studies in 2002 at the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo. Works at the Sarajevo Canton Instituteof Planning and Development, as an expert advisor in the field of protection of cultural-historical and natural heritage. Author of the exhibition “Bunkers-The lonely guards” that was shown in the Gallery “Roman Petrović” in Sarajevo, and in the Native Museum in Visoko in 2008. With the paper “Fortifications Along the Railways” participated in the CICOP conference “Importance of place” in 2011. Ismet obtained his doctorate in 2018 at the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo. He is married and has one child.
Emir Škrijelj
Urban Planning
Emir Škrijelj completed his studies in architecture at the University of Sarajevo and obtained the title of Master of Architecture. He gained his first work experience in the construction sector, where for several years he participated in the development of various residential and business facilities. After that, he went abroad, where he worked for six months on a project related to the candidate for UNESCO world heritage site. The next key stop in his career is urban planning, where he participates in the drafting of regulatory plans at the Sarajevo Canton Development Planning Institute, gaining valuable experience in solving various urban problems and creating functional and better quality spaces in the capital.
Aida Halilagić
Urban Planning
Aida graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo. She has been working for 24 years in the CSIPD on urban planning tasks in the position of Head of the Department of Urban Design. She is currently working on the creation of Urban Plans in Sarajevo Canton, which were the basis for the UTPS. Furthermore, she works as an urban planner on the creation of Regulatory Plans, Urban Projects and Spatial Plans. From 2009-2010, she was part of the editorial team in the preparation of the book „Restart: Architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1995-2010“ From 2012-2014, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Architects in Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo. She has received a first and two second awards for her pervious work in the field of urban planning and urban-architectural design by the Association of Urban Planners and Architects of Serbia.
Ajla Beganović Rosan
Urban Planning
Ajla Beganović Rosan graduated from the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Sarajevo, from the Department of Geography in 2018. She holds a Master’s degree in Regional and Spatial Planning. Ajla works in the CSIPD in the Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection Sector. She participates in the development of Urban Plans of the Sarajevo Canton, which were the basis for the development of the UTPS. She is working with GIS on graphic data processing, and in the areas of Demography and Social infrastructure.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERS + ECONOMISTS
Mobility
Aida Beširević, Nedim Đuzo,
Semir Oković
Green Infrastructure + Spaces
Vanja Bradarić
Energy
Dinija Kaljanac
Water and Sewage
Sanela Kodžić
Economy and Population
Ermina Ćatić, Emina Kašmo