What does it take to turn 100 m of road into a 600 m2 square with minimal funds? 8 wooden planters, 8 benches, 30 liters of paint, 2m3 of soil, 100 seedlings, 10 stencils, and three borrowed compressors. In three days, five members of the Prostorož team worked on site, assisted by 40 volunteers and children of different ages.

The newly formed pedestrian area, created by the permanent closure of part of Arkova ulica for traffic, has now become a safe route to kindergarten and school. It is of great importance for the residents of the retirement home, which is located in a vibrant urban area between the health center, parish, museum, kindergarten and school, where there is a chronic lack of green space and safe traffic areas for walks, socializing and leisure.

Due to our intervention, we saw increased foot traffic in the area. The response has been very good: residents support the new arrangement of Arkova Street and agree that Arkova is now safer and more pleasant. In the future, they want the entire street to become a promenade.

The swift transformation of the street was possible only because of the intensive, community-based planning process in the preceding years. The first ideas for repurposing of Arkova street were formed in 2017, when we explored the space together with local stakeholders and residents in a series of participatory planning workshops, surveys and interventions. Later, we collaborated with the City of Idrija on the municipal parking policy. The two projects laid the foundations for the renovation of the upper level of the street into a pedestrian area. The new pedestrian area became a safe route to the city centre, the kindergarten and the school. It is particularly valuable for the residents of the retirement home, which is located just adjacent to the former road.