URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR

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	<title>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</title>
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	<description>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</description>
	<pubDate>Mon, 11 Oct 2021 07:13:36 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>On the impossibility of drawing a river</title>
				
		<link>https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/On-the-impossibility-of-drawing-a-river</link>

		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Oct 2021 07:13:36 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/On-the-impossibility-of-drawing-a-river</guid>

		<description>


ON THE
IMPOSSIBILITY OF DRAWING A RIVER


Maud Canisius, Myriel Milicevic


A border; a route of propagation; a contested line; an economic backbone; a source of energy; a multitude of habitats; a place of spirits and lore; a connection through time and cultures; a source of energy, water and life... a personhood. There are countless ways to look at a river, and yet so many remain invisible in today's cartographic depiction.


In reference to Umberto Eco’s “On the Impossibility of Drawing a Map of the Empire on a Scale of 1 to 1”, we took on the challenge to draw a map of the river Danube in the Lido area of Bratislava. The Lido area bears conflicting interests between urban developers and river communities, a typical situation in these terrains. How does the way different actors look at a place influence what is visually represented? How do legal constructions relate to visual representations of rivers? How can we differentiate between rights to the river and rights of the river?
&#38;nbsp;

Having spent four days with this small section of Europe’s second largest river, exploring with humans and through the eyes of nonhumans possible river relationships, we formulated a set of steps, or exercises, for analysing the impossibility of mapping the river.

1. Immerse yourself2. Look beyond3. Connect with river-land communities4. Include the river5. Start to draw6. Don't stop


1. Immerse yourself

How to put yourself in relation to a river?

In maps, the initial observation is normally done through a distant, objective view. For the Lido area, like most other places around the world, this approach translates into a wide set of materials available: historical maps, hydrological maps, demographic maps and vegetation patterns, to just name a few. Such maps are created through satellite images and measurement devices and are ultimately presented as two-dimensional projections. In order to perceive the river in many dimensions, other tools and senses are needed. To bridge the distance between the observer and the observed, a possible first step would be to remove the gap and move from a distant, objective view, into an immediate, sensorial encounter. For the river this could mean going for a swim or taking a small boat and start paddling. 

Our direct encounter with the Danube stream took the form of a paddling tour. The first sensorial impression that we experienced upon entering the kayak and facing the vast river surface, was a feeling of helpless disproportion. It felt as though one could easily end up swept off to one of the countries downstream. Our&#38;nbsp; senses registered the pressure of the wind, smells, balance, humidity, temperature changes and sounds. An awkward feeling of being exposed makes way for a comforting joy of being “away” and being carried. While respectfully paddling a short stretch upstream along the Lido shore, invisible currents made us almost drift off and stream-patterns around the bridge’s pillars taught us how the water finds its way around the huge impact of man-made structures. 

Immersing into the place that should be mapped, reveals other characteristics and relations to the observer. Here, we were confronted with hidden currents, sensations and forces. These elements form a fascinating starting point for a map of the river. 


&#38;nbsp;2. Look beyond

What are the boundaries of a river? 

Being on the water, being with the subject, forms the first step of a river relation. However, what is beyond the banks reveals a great deal about the river itself. Between the headwaters and the estuary the river transforms, transports and feeds landscapes. With its constant flow and changing patterns, the river plays important roles in hydrological and ecological networks. 

On a walk with hydrogeologist Anna Kidova, she pointed out to us how the Danube is mostly channelled between man-made walls of boulders. This prevents floods, which may be beneficial for the humans living there, but at the same time keeps the fluvial forest from actually being fluvial. She continued to explain that in other places, the Danube has more space to accumulate sand and rocks, create meanderings in the landscape and therefore accommodate habitats for a diverse biota. There, the soft and somehow boundless boundaries characterise its shapes. In this state of being ‘walled’ in, the river speeds up and scrapes away its own gravel bed. With climates changing and irregular rain patterns increasing, the prediction is that water flows over and beyond the constructed walls. The river has shaped the land in the past, left its marks, and will continue to shape the environment in the future. 

Being in the river environment made us aware of the different time-scales and how a stream reaches beyond its shores and beyond the blue line as it is typically represented on maps. The past is as important as the potential future it holds with its interplay of forces.

3. Connect with river-land communities

How to take the perspective of a nonhuman? 

Corresponding to what Eco postulated, a map doesn’t include only geography, but also its inhabitants. But how to include their perspective of the river, if one doesn’t know who lives there and how they inhabit the space?

Therefore, together with the workshop participants, we first tried to find out and imagine who and what could be regarded as ‘inhabitants’. How would bugs, birds, fungi, shrubs, rodents, amphibians and many other living beings, including humans, chart their own environment? In the workshop, we tried to imagine who lives in the Lido area by using six groups as starting points: ‘0 feet &#38;amp; 1000 antennas’, ‘2 feet’, ‘2 feet, 2 wings’, ‘4 feet’ and ‘6+ feet’. Potential inhabitants that were a fox, birds, the old lady from across the river, spiders, and trees. In the second part of the workshop we went outside and trained ourselves in taking these perspectives with their different connections to this river environment. A difficult exercise, because each actor has a different dimension of scale, a different relation to time, a different colour scheme in which it sees, other signals it receives, other conflicts it fears, other forms of cohabitation and symbioses it enters, other needs of resources and paths it moves on. If there is one thing that connecting with the river communities taught us, it is that thinking with others is extremely hard.

What does this mean for drawing the map? In fact, it became quite an impossible situation at this stage already. Yet, through knowledge, observation, imagination and empathy, the human can lend a drawing hand to the nonhuman.


4. Include the river

What do we see when we see a river as a person?

While in Western society, rivers in general are respected for their economic, cultural and ecological services they provide to people, other, often indigenous cultures, have developed different relations with their rivers. To the Māori, the Whanganui River is a living ancestor, a person. For them the river is an indivisible and living whole from the mountains to the sea, incorporating all of its physical and metaphysical elements.1 In 2017, after 140 years of dispute, the Whanganui River was officially recognised as a legal person in New Zealand.

In Europe we don’t know of such an understanding of kinship with a river, but there are ways in which the Europeans see their rivers as persons. In different languages, for example, rivers are given a gender. While making its way through Austria, the Danube is regarded as female, however changing the gender to male once it crosses the border to Slovakia. From his or her source to the Black Sea, the Danube passes through ten different countries – more than any other river in the world. What would it mean to regard the river Danube as a transnational legal person? Would it make people along the Danube appreciate the river in another, a more personal way?
&#38;nbsp;

By acknowledging the river as an indivisible and living whole, the river should ideally be projected as a complete subject and not as partial cartographic pieces. As a subject in its own right, the question arises above all: how would the river draw or represent itself?
&#38;nbsp;

In reference to Narcissus, the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope, who fell in love with his own reflection in the water (not realising it was himself and dying in vain), we held a mirroring cardboard in the air. The reflective surface allowed the river for once to see itself.
&#38;nbsp;


5. Start Drawing

In this step, we return to the epistemological precondition of a map. Because rules exist about how maps are systematised, and are based on categories that are represented in a legend, also our map needs an underlying system of criteria. Besides the standard view of the visual separation of water and land, non-standardised elements that are normally excluded from a map should be represented as well.

After going through the process of establishing relations with the river and its inhabitants, the uncountable elements that could be represented in this map were overwhelming. Trying to connect these elements and putting them in relation in a variety of ways, a range of possibilities for a legend emerged. Having set up our cartography studio on the river’s banks, we started not only representing the visible surface, but also the shadows in the water, the driftwood, the beaten paths, the forest density, the underground water currents, the pipelines, the different gradations of humus, wind patterns, telecommunication lines, chemicals, bird movements, position of various creatures over time, wishes for restricted areas for humans, ourselves as the cartographers within the map and also things that were outside the map. 

Being in the place, we were constantly met with new requirements for the map. People walked by collecting trash, stories were told about old bunkers hidden underground, the sun’s movement changing the shadow play and insects we didn’t know the names of kept walking over the mapping paper. Drawing, mapping, criteria building became an ongoing process.

&#38;nbsp;


6. Don’t stop

One could say that we succeeded very well with the impossible attempt to draw a map of the Danube river in the Lido area: we did not nearly finish one of the above mentioned steps, the list of categories was in itself not even finished. With more time, with more knowledge, and more connections of what should be drawn in the map could be endlessly extended with uncountable things. What about all the myths and tales? What about the collective memory? What about the future?

Although we had a different objective than Eco with his map of the Empire, we come to the same conclusions. A 1 to 1 map always reproduces the territory unfaithfully. There are things left out of the map for the sake of systemisation, and because of a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding or a lack of motivation. Furthermore, as soon as the 1 to 1 map is realised, the map is already not a relevant representation anymore. Although we do not and cannot know enough about a river to faithfully represent it, such impossible and unfinished maps can tell the stories of the relations that such an environment is made of. Just like the environments are always changing, so is the way they are represented and their stories are told. Attempting to take other perspectives, to invite others to the process and to include various worlds in a representation of a place hopefully in some way supports the debates around human-environmental relations and interactions. The lesson taken from this is: continue drawing.

On the Impossibility of Drawing a River was co-organized by Goethe-Institut Bratislava.


On the Impossibility of Representing a River

These reflections were extended and discussed in form of a performative conversation, together with anthropologist and photographer Thiago da Costa Oliveira and with jurist and socio-legal scholar Xenia Chiaramonte, and the river Danube itself in a “live stream”.

This conversation was facilitated by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin and part of the Anthropocene Curriculum event The Shape of a Practice.

https://shape.anthropocene-curriculum.org/events/on-the-impossibility-of-representing-a-river


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PHOTO CREDITS: 

Tomáš Velecký

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PHOTO CREDITS: Myriel Milicevic


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PHOTO CREDITS: Myriel Milicevic, 
Natália Zajačiková


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PHOTO CREDITS: Myriel Milicevic


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PHOTO CREDITS: Natália Zajačiková


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PHOTO CREDITS: Maud Canisius


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		<title>Historical context of location</title>
				
		<link>https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/Historical-context-of-location</link>

		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:13:59 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/Historical-context-of-location</guid>

		<description>


HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF BRATISLAVA LIDO


Peter Szalay


Architect
Solà-Morales uses the term terrain vague&#38;nbsp;to refer to abandoned, residual, undefined places that have lost their original
function, yet remain places of identity where the past and present meet. 


Bratislava
Lido is a typical terrain vague; despite
its central location, it has a peripheral character. It comprises a mixture of
rural development, brownfields, sporting grounds, garden cottages and undisturbed
nature. Although its urbanization has been discussed since the beginning of the
last century, no plans have been implemented. This area remains terrain
vague for mainly prosaic reasons, such as a shortage of resources and unresolved
ownership relations.&#38;nbsp; However, the lack
of clarity about what to do with it is another factor. &#38;nbsp;


In the
first half of the 1900s, recreation and sports played a significant role in the
planning of this area, similar to the intentions which led to the founding of
the nearby park, today’s Sad Janka Kráľa (Janko Kráľ Park) in the middle
of the 18th century. It became a place for mass recreation, as the Lido
public pool, docks as well as number of sports stadiums were located there.


In the
second half of the 20th century, plans to establish a new city
center on the right bank of the Danube were proposed. During the socialist era,
the city grew significantly, particularly as a result of the extensive planned
development of mass housing. The Petržalka housing estate, the most extensive
mass housing project in Czechoslovakia, was created in the vicinity of this
territory. The conventional concentric conception of city construction
development has been maintained since the time when a grandiose international
competition was held in 1967. &#38;nbsp;Urban
planners and architects consider this territory as the most valuable area for the
construction of a modern city center.&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;


The Istroport plan, conceived by the VAL group in 1972, straddled the borderline of
architecture and art.&#38;nbsp; It was a utopian
project that envisioned the shifting of construction activities from the banks
of Danube to the river itself.&#38;nbsp; However,
environmentalists and conservationists, who had mobilized to block the planned
construction of the large dam further down river, had other ideas. However they
failed to &#38;nbsp;prevent its
implementation.&#38;nbsp; Due to the dam
construction, the river bed was deepened and the dam itself minimized natural
variations of the water level, which during the summer droughts created Lido’s sandy
beaches and negatively impacted the natural biotopes. The Soví les nature
reserve was declared in 2010 on part of this territory in an attempt to
conserve the precious biotopes of alluvial forests of European and national
significance.&#38;nbsp; This was the first time that
the natural values of this territory were officially acknowledged and became
the subject of public discussion. 


The Lido
pool on the river bank closed in the 1990s and sports activities of the majority
of the populace of Bratislava were reduced to the use of the bike path on the
Danube embankment. The most massive campaign concerning this territory began in
2017 when J&#38;amp;T and HB Reavis, Bratislava’s
largest developers, launched their “New Lido” campaign. Although their project
is in principle based on plans formulated during the socialist era, they
employed innovative marketing strategies to inform the government and the general
public of their intentions. However, in 2017 they failed to be granted
significant investment status which would have simplified the permit processes and
enabled the expropriation of land.&#38;nbsp; 

Water sports enthusiasts who had docks there
were especially opposed to the plan, as it would significantly transform the
bank. In response to these objections, the investors implemented some small
adjustments to the plan and promised to leave space for non-motorized boats and
a beach. These discussions marked the most recent proposal presented to the
general public, and the official approval process is ongoing.


	&#60;img width="1200" height="1545" width_o="1200" height_o="1545" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/05fa317edeab3b2907faadd6949a2b7454d15d6c7c68176f44806f3ac3770b13/mapa-obliehanie-bratislavy-nestandard1.jpg" data-mid="77281143" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/05fa317edeab3b2907faadd6949a2b7454d15d6c7c68176f44806f3ac3770b13/mapa-obliehanie-bratislavy-nestandard1.jpg" /&#62;

Strategic map of city shelling by French army, 1. 6. 1809.Source: Bratislava Lexicon of Topography


&#60;img width="1785" height="919" width_o="1785" height_o="919" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e64c059251bb803bbec46afc4498465d6cddfe39e32ddd0306c1d38b698f6115/Mikoviny-1742.jpg" data-mid="77289378" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e64c059251bb803bbec46afc4498465d6cddfe39e32ddd0306c1d38b698f6115/Mikoviny-1742.jpg" /&#62;Section from the Mikoviny map of Danube around Bratislava, 1742. Territory of Bratislavské Lido characterized by alluvial (flood plain) forest with
regular rhythms of flooding,

border of firm soil and Danube

and its branches.
source: Bratislava City Archive


&#60;img width="1122" height="705" width_o="1122" height_o="705" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b4f9863beea31cef97ac61e83cdf646654d1a54a5d828f0e81772bb20c2d931f/Lido-1912.jpg" data-mid="77292887" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b4f9863beea31cef97ac61e83cdf646654d1a54a5d828f0e81772bb20c2d931f/Lido-1912.jpg" /&#62;
Section from the map from 1912 with marked preparation of waterfront expansion as well as the planned streets of the area called Stadtgrundau. Apart from its sports infrastructure, which was concentrated on the reinforced waterfront, the area also had a gravel quarry.  Source: Bratislava City Archive


&#60;img width="1024" height="721" width_o="1024" height_o="721" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d43213fda196fc15054fbfebd5433774df9b7e1d18d7d7a15300f9ae83316ed4/02.jpg" data-mid="77280989" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d43213fda196fc15054fbfebd5433774df9b7e1d18d7d7a15300f9ae83316ed4/02.jpg" /&#62;

Floating swimmingpool&#38;nbsp;
Source: Bratislavské rožky
&#60;img width="1200" height="725" width_o="1200" height_o="725" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9a082e3e8990d72296f31664e230ade7e1deed75f145f404cbc007e64a0cd53f/Lido-1939.jpg" data-mid="77293937" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9a082e3e8990d72296f31664e230ade7e1deed75f145f404cbc007e64a0cd53f/Lido-1939.jpg" /&#62;Secction from map of Bratislava, 1939. 
The recreational use of the area was strengthened towards the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and in the interwar period.

&#60;img width="726" height="477" width_o="726" height_o="477" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ffa36bb45b6b31adf64942c5cf9b429524732d95fe0adda57a8ef2ea9746ebba/Petrzalka_19_46.jpg" data-mid="77294232" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/726/i/ffa36bb45b6b31adf64942c5cf9b429524732d95fe0adda57a8ef2ea9746ebba/Petrzalka_19_46.jpg" /&#62;Makkabea sport stadium, Friedrich Weinwurm, 1935.


source: Bratislava City Archive

&#60;img width="1158" height="673" width_o="1158" height_o="673" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/32912882c4376785149c971f6d84cdcdc5bc3b91e06379919c9c683ed5df880d/Lido-1967.jpg" data-mid="77294792" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/32912882c4376785149c971f6d84cdcdc5bc3b91e06379919c9c683ed5df880d/Lido-1967.jpg" /&#62;


Petržalka, 1967.&#38;nbsp;
Source: Archive of architecture, oA, IH, SAS

&#60;img width="1271" height="345" width_o="1271" height_o="345" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/30f7a29cf52b0be68f0276c02087a989dd83feb1d8ab1a937bc236e2228fe6a7/Petralka-1967.jpg" data-mid="77295568" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/30f7a29cf52b0be68f0276c02087a989dd83feb1d8ab1a937bc236e2228fe6a7/Petralka-1967.jpg" /&#62;Photo accompanying an article on the tender for the construction of the southern precinct of Bratislava - Petržalka, 1966.Source: Journal Projekt, 1966
&#60;img width="1120" height="553" width_o="1120" height_o="553" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/133330615bf7478d45c75e594aba537c7569cb7835d5365b72d977f81bc3885e/Petralka-sua.jpg" data-mid="77296821" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/133330615bf7478d45c75e594aba537c7569cb7835d5365b72d977f81bc3885e/Petralka-sua.jpg" /&#62;
Model of the competition proposal for Petržalka, 1967, authors: Alexy, Kavan, Trnkus. Lido area as the “center of the right bank” of Bratislava.

Source: Archive of architecture, oA, IH, SAS


&#60;img width="1027" height="717" width_o="1027" height_o="717" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/edf71d950a1e94c1fbe296ade917594702b2b74c2b218e10b4cad89080172024/VAL.jpg" data-mid="77297009" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/edf71d950a1e94c1fbe296ade917594702b2b74c2b218e10b4cad89080172024/VAL.jpg" /&#62;
Istroport, VAL, 1972, authors: Mlynárčik, Mecková, Kupkovič. Utopian proposal of the architecture-artistic group for a megalopolis for 

120 000 citizens on the Danube. Source: Archive of architecture, oA, IH, SAS


&#60;img width="657" height="648" width_o="657" height_o="648" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7101f47ae9661a68b7b42f35fa80c6d4fee7fe9e6326d5b46eb874cb16fecb6a/1985.jpg" data-mid="77297255" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/657/i/7101f47ae9661a68b7b42f35fa80c6d4fee7fe9e6326d5b46eb874cb16fecb6a/1985.jpg" /&#62;
Model plan of development of the Petržalka, Stavoprojekt Bratislava, 1985. 
The plan was an addition to the town planning scheme, and called for the development of the area.&#38;nbsp;
Source: Yearbook of Stavoprojekt, 1989

&#60;img width="950" height="681" width_o="950" height_o="681" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/37189d3234b3e9c52693c9073cc03b5a6052aca4c915fed716cc32b3f420b613/mapa-1985.jpg" data-mid="77297594" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/950/i/37189d3234b3e9c52693c9073cc03b5a6052aca4c915fed716cc32b3f420b613/mapa-1985.jpg" /&#62;Sections of Bratislava map, 1986


Source: Archive of architecture, oA, IH, SAS


&#60;img width="1200" height="800" width_o="1200" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fadf78e0bb9bf7fab215dfdddfcb3c5b66ad16d7117481a0ed299129a33781f3/lido-1-aktuality-sk.jpg" data-mid="77297996" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fadf78e0bb9bf7fab215dfdddfcb3c5b66ad16d7117481a0ed299129a33781f3/lido-1-aktuality-sk.jpg" /&#62;The Gabčíkovo dam and the Hrušov reservoir were built in late 1980s and early 1990s despite the opposition of ecologists. One of the effects of the damming of the Danube was the stabilization of the water level in Bratislava. As a result, the beaches which appeared on the banks of the river during summer droughts remained under water, and made swimming by natural beaches impossible.
Source: TASR
&#60;img width="869" height="615" width_o="869" height_o="615" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9334e80aa28f4df18b282c007173e43fb9621c496ce2a1326c60a71adf173542/mapa-2005.jpg" data-mid="77297926" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/869/i/9334e80aa28f4df18b282c007173e43fb9621c496ce2a1326c60a71adf173542/mapa-2005.jpg" /&#62;
Bratislava in 2005

&#60;img width="1037" height="489" width_o="1037" height_o="489" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d68262f638e51f9b9138321038534b26b837bf36d4fe3596a1a5ab8e0b1aef8e/mapa-markrop.jpg" data-mid="77298212" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d68262f638e51f9b9138321038534b26b837bf36d4fe3596a1a5ab8e0b1aef8e/mapa-markrop.jpg" /&#62;Developed territorial plan of the Petržalka Central City, MARKROP, 2012. Source:  www.uzemneplany.sk


</description>
		
	</item>
		
		
	<item>
		<title>Mikuláš Huba</title>
				
		<link>https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/Mikulas-Huba</link>

		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 23:18:59 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/Mikulas-Huba</guid>

		<description>

	THE LIDO AFFAIR OR ABOUT THOSE FOR WHOM NATURE MEANS NOTHING


Mikuláš Huba


There’s an old chestnut which goes something
like this: the best architect is the one
is who takes such a strong stand that certain locations remain undeveloped.
Since the time that this observation was made, the developed areas have
dramatically expanded and the undeveloped areas have rapidly shrunk and today
this observation would be twice as topical. 
&#38;nbsp;


Yes, Lido
was a popular place when I was young. 
But the Bratislava of my youth was no more than a third of what it is
today; the developed area was several times smaller and there was more greenery
within the city – in absolute and relative numbers. 


And then architects and developers came from a
completely different approach in comparison with the message of the
aforementioned bon mot.&#38;nbsp; According to today’s
supporters of the urbanization of Lido and the nature between the Old Bridge
and the Apollo Bridge, there is NOTHING
there. This is how they define and reveal themselves, and present their
vision of the world.&#38;nbsp; They are the same as
or similar to those for whom the area below Castle Hill, Park kultúry a
oddychu and its surrounding greenery, Bratislava’s vineyards, Pečniansky
Forest, the Iuventa premises on Búdková Street, the old gardens in Slávičie
údolie, Koliba, the Karlova Ves cove of the Danube and other Danube branches
near Bratislava or the Devínska Kobyla hillsides also meant NOTHING.&#38;nbsp; And if we go further from Bratislava, we can
talk about nature in national parks, for example the surroundings of the
Štrbské and Vrbické pleso mountain lakes.
&#38;nbsp;


My vision of
the world is the complete opposite.


I can see
the lush alluvial forest on the right side of Danube under the old bridge and
the popular dock hidden there. The fact that this forest has been preserved is
a minor miracle in my eyes and a blessing for this city, and something that
other, smart and far-sighted people would protect like a hawk (also due to the
growing climatic changes and their negative impacts). This massive greenery on
the right bank of the Danube has great micro-climatic, ecological and aesthetic
value and particularly psycho-hygienic value – since it creates a calming
counterbalance to the surrounding urbanized environment.


But this
zone of nature between two Bratislava bridges also has urban, supra-urban and
even international value because it is part of the Danube bio corridor.
Therefore, it is our duty to protect it not only for our own sake, but for the
sake of the world. This is especially important considering the fact that we
have already managed to destroy almost everything natural on the other side of
the Danube in Bratislava, as a result of which, for all practical purposes, the
direct connection of the Danube and Carpathian bio corridors between the
Lafranconi Bridge and the Winter Port has ceased to exist. Now only the right
bank remains, and if we destroy and denude it, we will bring an end to the
functioning of the Danube bio corridor once and for all. 


Yes, all
sorts of things can be found in that forest surrounding the former Lido,
including illegal garbage dumps. But instead of demonstrating that it is
NOTHING, it only holds up a mirror to those who should be taking care of the
city and who allow people to do whatever they want with the city’s precious
nature. The garbage is a problem with a relatively easy solution. However,
concrete, which some people would like to see there, would be a problem much
harder to solve. 


I am no
stranger to nostalgia, but I understand that Lido will not return to its
original place and it will be replaced by a city beach near the Old Bridge. I
consider the developers’ activities, hidden behind the popular phenomenon of
Lido, to be as sincere as the names of the parks (River Park, Green Park, etc.)
gates or gardens, when these romantic names or euphemisms hide the most
un-natural complexes made of glass and concrete.


I would like to briefly revisit the libretto of
this event, in which it is rightly stated that Bratislava’s environmentalists
(not to mention, scientists, professional environmentalists, journalists and
even clerks at the community level) were against the original
Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros dam project in the 1980s, which would have also essentially
changed the right bank of the Danube near Bratislava. However, at that time,
since it was impossible to block this technical “grand project” which was
already in progress, they at least requested a principal change, and were more
or less successful; only the Gabčíkovo 
dam was implemented and in significantly modified form. I mention this
because according to the original plan, all of the Danube’s alluvial forests
near Bratislava were to be cut down and the level of the water in the reservoir
(with effects reaching all the way to Bratislava) was to vary daily according
to the so-called peak electricity production regime.&#38;nbsp; If this had happened, this discussion would
be pointless and the entire project would not be called New Lido, but
for example Stinky Mud. In other words, we saved Bratislava’s alluvial
forests out of our love of nature and people and not the profits of a few
businessmen who have repeatedly convinced us of their lack of respect for our
natural and cultural heritage and their fellow citizens.&#38;nbsp; 
&#38;nbsp;


We first summarized our idea of the future of
the Danube’s nature in the Proposal for the Conservation of the Bratislava
Alluvial Forests and later in the Proposal for the Declaration of the Danube
Region National Park, which we submitted to the Slovak government in February
1987. This document was neither accepted nor rejected.&#38;nbsp; It is still alive and it has been recently
supported by almost all of the relevant stakeholders: the Bratislava self-governing
region, the city of Bratislava, the relevant city boroughs, the Presidium of
the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Union of Towns and Cities of Slovakia and
the Slovak Conservation Union.
&#38;nbsp;


Just to be
clear. This is not about fencing in the alluvial forest between the Old Bridge
and the Apollo Bridge, or declaring it a strict natural reserve. After all, it
already contains a dense network of pathways and the aforementioned dock.
Nobody is against sensitive and rational infrastructure improvements in the
form of natural walkways, benches, waste bins and educational trails. Some of
the areas, especially near the bridges, require revitalization or
re-naturalization.&#38;nbsp; I admit that that the
area could be more welcoming to people, and thus add to the character of city.
This is after all what modern concepts of national or natural parks are all
about: protecting nature and providing people with appropriate access without
disturbing the long-term functioning of natural eco systems.&#38;nbsp; 
&#38;nbsp;


Moreover,
all of this is directly within the territory of the capital city, which is
unique, but not unprecedented. After all, Donau Auen National Park begins
within the city limits of Vienna and the enclave of the Duna – Ipoly National
Park is part of Budapest.&#38;nbsp; Nature along
the rivers is protected in many large cities. Perhaps in every city in Europe
in which some nature remains, but we can say without exaggeration that we are
the only country in the region which does not protect the values of the Danube
nature comprehensively and conceptually, and from time to time we even act as
if these unique places have no value. Yes, as if they were NOTHING.&#38;nbsp; 
&#38;nbsp;


I am aware
of the fact that what I have written here has nothing in common with the
“development” ideas of the developers concerning this area. Quite right. It
seems to me that they have already developed Bratislava excessively and mostly
with unfortunate results. They could at least leave some space for their
successors, who hopefully will be more welcoming and sensitive to nature, more
environmentally aware, more sophisticated and in general less mercenary,
unscrupulous and expansive. 
&#38;nbsp;


Resumé: If
the relevant zoning plan is to be altered, let it not be altered in favor of
developers’ plans, the pouring of concrete and the abuse of attractive natural
sites, but in a way that local nature can be declared intact, i.e., a
non-built-up area and it can be extended under the bridges to ensure the
functional continuum of the Danube bio corridor!&#38;nbsp; This type of zoning plan has worked in nearby
Brno for a long time. 


&#60;img width="1200" height="997" width_o="1200" height_o="997" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5a9e2ca594a46fed6cc08bff6abdbe9933ccaf1fe56559b2da16beaa3fa411af/mikulas-huba.jpg" data-mid="77552694" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5a9e2ca594a46fed6cc08bff6abdbe9933ccaf1fe56559b2da16beaa3fa411af/mikulas-huba.jpg" /&#62;


Prof.
RNDr. Mikuláš Huba, CSc.,


 is a geographer, environmentalist, landscape ecologist and civic activist. He graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University and lectures at several universities. He is also a researcher at the Geographical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He has been active in the conservation movement at home and abroad since 1975. He was the initiator of the international Danube Declaration and the head of the team of designers of the Danube Region National Park. He has actively participated in key international events related to saving the Earth and is the author of dozens of publications and regularly comments on social life in the media and on Facebook. He was twice elected head of the Environmental Committee of the Slovak Parliament.


&#60;img width="2855" height="1400" width_o="2855" height_o="1400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ff5c6654452c9d33bdb3628bc9a6e9398e9701cacd09ce87c207c09790f731bc/NP-Podunajsko-nvrh-2-small.jpg" data-mid="77551986" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ff5c6654452c9d33bdb3628bc9a6e9398e9701cacd09ce87c207c09790f731bc/NP-Podunajsko-nvrh-2-small.jpg" /&#62;

&#60;img width="6891" height="4847" width_o="6891" height_o="4847" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/17e52666c498d54109cc5d7776288d17cc296898418694db6337c635df656bd1/03.jpg" data-mid="77551790" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/17e52666c498d54109cc5d7776288d17cc296898418694db6337c635df656bd1/03.jpg" /&#62;&#60;img width="1300" height="868" width_o="1300" height_o="868" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9ebd6f5c8d619affa16b49a60573974536b231a666f4cb48f5d568031b144671/Huba-mozno-toto.jpg" data-mid="77299003" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9ebd6f5c8d619affa16b49a60573974536b231a666f4cb48f5d568031b144671/Huba-mozno-toto.jpg" /&#62;

&#60;img width="2189" height="1826" width_o="2189" height_o="1826" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f45530bceafe22f9dc5d1980cb66777036326ae98b5b474210d0b7dbbf058ea6/05small.jpg" data-mid="79665349" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f45530bceafe22f9dc5d1980cb66777036326ae98b5b474210d0b7dbbf058ea6/05small.jpg" /&#62;

&#60;img width="2309" height="1732" width_o="2309" height_o="1732" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/427b0240048a3ebef6a54b57a02752d80766176bb713f0c676a28900f8692cb9/P1070486-small.JPG" data-mid="77552469" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/427b0240048a3ebef6a54b57a02752d80766176bb713f0c676a28900f8692cb9/P1070486-small.JPG" /&#62;

&#60;img width="2449" height="1632" width_o="2449" height_o="1632" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2264af95e6cc9c26d91b862f6c191114c7bbe525978bc61663145b09f9515c03/A31A0135small.JPG" data-mid="77552491" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2264af95e6cc9c26d91b862f6c191114c7bbe525978bc61663145b09f9515c03/A31A0135small.JPG" /&#62;

&#60;img width="2449" height="1632" width_o="2449" height_o="1632" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6ec2ff068e3fdf7de96e6ea36b548fb29aedd0105bb7436670449561e6df650a/A31A0103small.JPG" data-mid="77552505" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6ec2ff068e3fdf7de96e6ea36b548fb29aedd0105bb7436670449561e6df650a/A31A0103small.JPG" /&#62;
PHOTO CREDITS: Archív Mikuláša Hubu &#38;amp; Michal Huba
&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;</description>
		
	</item>
		
		
	<item>
		<title>Vojtech Vomáčka interview</title>
				
		<link>https://urbanimagination.cargo.site/Vojtech-Vomacka-interview</link>

		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:28:50 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>URBAN IMAGINATION SEMINAR</dc:creator>

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		<description>


	GRANTING OF RIGHTS TO VARIOUS ENTITIES COULD RELATIVIZE THEIR EXISTING
PROTECTION AND WEAKEN THE TRADITIONAL HIGHER AUTHORITY SYSTEM OF REGULATION

Eliška Mazalanová &#38;amp; Peter Szalay in online conversation with Vojtěch Vomáčka

In our
project we work with issues related to the Right to the City in the era of
climate change. This also refers to the issue of whether we
should broaden the concept of the Right to the City to entities other than
human entities. Recently, attempts have been made to legislatively anchor rights
to inhuman entities, such as rivers and hills. Do you think that similar
legislation is a meaningful approach to environmental protection? Who should
legally represent rivers and hills and how should they do it? And is such
legislation transferable to our geographical and cultural region? (the majority
of examples of such legislation come from countries where certain forms of
animistic religion play a significant role).


I am convinced that the subjectification
of environmental segments is neither suitable nor desirable in our legal
environment. Although
driven by good intentions, the granting of rights to various entities could
relativize their existing protection and weaken the traditional higher
authority system of regulation based on the command-and control approach,
the effect of which is understandable and identical for all addressees.&#38;nbsp; And if the granting of rights is limited to
selected segments of the environment, this would be no more than a symbolic
step, not the necessary or even systemic solution to existing problems. &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;


It is important
to realize that basic human rights constitute the backbone of the
anthropocentric legal system which is based on these rights and subject to them
in compliance with the hierarchical organization of legal norms. The transformation
of the legal order in its present form under the influence of the formation of
human rights has occurred rapidly and gradually. The fight for human rights has been and still is the
fight for the generalization of guarantees and the broadening of the circle of
beneficiaries of individual rights rather than the search for new rights. Granting
a fundamental right carries with it the irrevocability and high standard of its
protection, including procedural-legal mechanisms, common for all rights
recognized in such a way. In terms of the granting of rights to segments of the
environment, nothing like that is guaranteed, and comparing it to the human
rights record is limited because such rights cannot appropriate the privileged
position of human rights within the anthropocentric legal system. &#38;nbsp;Moreover, fundamental human rights are indirectly protected within the framework of numerous legal institutions, thus they also
fulfill the function of correctives, guarantees and principles.&#38;nbsp; The environmental protection system has not
been built in such a hierarchical manner and the rights could not be granted
without the further performance of the aforementioned functions. On the
contrary, this would give rise to fundamental conflicts of granted rights in
all areas of the use of our environment which would have to be addressed by
follow-up legislation and decision-making practice. This leads to two essential
questions framing any deliberation concerning the legal subjectification of the
environment, but which remain mostly unstated or unanswered. They relate to the extent of the
granted rights and the resolution of the conflict between these rights and the
rights of others. &#38;nbsp;


Moreover, discourse on the rights of the environment
cannot be conducted separately while ignoring the serious questions connected
with the limits of the legal protection of the environment justified by the needs
of humans and human civilization. Human rights provide individual protection, as
opposed to environmental rights, which require a systemic approach, and an enlightened
government to balance the need to use natural resources and the requirement to protect
nature to the greatest possible extent from human activities. &#38;nbsp; 


Therefore, let
us focus initially on the further elaboration of the principles related to
sustainable development, the integration of ecological policy with other policies
– and let us overcome the governmental departmentalism which prevents it.&#38;nbsp; 


On the other hand, under specific
circumstances, the legal subjectification of the environment could lead to a method
of patching the weak spots in the system of its protection. Corresponding
regulation would address situations which practice does not know how to handle
because there is no “rights holder” through whose rights the &#38;nbsp;protection can be ensured. &#38;nbsp; No serious formal obstacle in the Czech
Republic or Slovakia prevents the normative expression of the fact that various
entities are entitled to rights analogical to human rights. The legal systems
in various parts of the world are quite similar and modern laws across the
continents differ only minimally.&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;Cultural and religious differences, different
perceptions of the environment around us and the closeness of the relation to
nature only specify the input requirements for the content and form of legal
regulation. 


Thus, turning a tree or the entire planet into an
entity will not take more than a few new sections of already existing laws.
However, contrary to some claims, these entities would not automatically become
holders of obligations as a result of the granting of such rights. Their
representation and the mechanism of enforcing their rights is a purely
legal-technical issue, similar to the regulation of the conduct of legal
entities or physical persons without full legal capacity. Thus, it is possible
to broaden the competence of some of the existing administrative authorities,
to create a new institution along the lines of a specialized ombudsmen and to involve
the general public in the proper setting of processual conditions. &#38;nbsp;Legislation in other countries has taken the
same course of action: it tries to find a person who is close to the river,
forest or coral reef, be it a special institution, ecological association, municipality/community,
indigenous community or church representative. &#38;nbsp;


However, this does not relate to towns as parts of the
environment. They are already holders of rights and obligations, and their role
in the protection of the environment has been markedly strengthened recently. &#38;nbsp;The perception of the content of the right to
self-government is changing and towns have become an ideal platform for
exercising the interests of a community, and to a certain extent, they have
replaced the weakened civic society.


From the perspective of EU law and national law, a
town, in addition to being part of a state, can exercise its rights and
represent the interests of its current and future inhabitants. This is
essential for climate litigation management, which involves large cities and
small seaside villages.&#38;nbsp; European
metropolises have successfully litigated clean air at the Court of Justice of
the European Union. Ostrava in the Czech Republic sued the state for the same
reason; small towns have contested restrictions in the construction of wind
power plants; and the Prague districts are fighting the extension of the Prague
airport. &#38;nbsp;According to the courts, even
what is happening beyond the limits of a town may interfere with its
rights.&#38;nbsp; As a result, a town may oppose a
neighboring town’s zoning plan. &#38;nbsp;&#38;nbsp; 


Since towns are also are entitled to relative freedom,
they adopt their own regulations concerning environmental protection. According
to the Czech Constitutional Court, a town may amend rules in generally binding
municipal decrees which are not established by the law and even without the
express authorization to do so. In practice, this may concern detailed terms
and conditions related to waste management, protection of the air or livestock
farming. 


Public
welfare is a frequently used term in politics. Does such term also exist in law?
If so, what is the role of the protection of non-human entities in it?


The
term public welfare is rarely found in legislation. Article 10 of the
Constitution of the Czechoslovak Republic of 1960, according to which certain
property can be entrusted to the exclusive ownership of the state or designated
legal entities in order to ensure the public welfare, can serve as an example.
The law commonly works with the term public interest, which is similar in
content. Public interest accents the foundations of a representative democracy
and is viewed as the guarantee of the public functioning of the state.&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;


An
interest that is beneficial to society but which exceeds the private interests
of an individual, although not necessarily related to a closely defined segment
of the population, may be designated as a public interest. &#38;nbsp;Certain values as well as the instruments to
achieve them may be designated as public interests. According to case law, a public
interest does not have to be explicitly expressed. In a democratic society,
pubic interests may, in principle, be identified with the goals of state policy
and the baselines of the legal regulations. 


The
identification of a specific partial public interest and the weighing of
various public and private interests is the task of planning and
decision-making practice, or public administration and self-government, due to
its necessity to take into consideration the circumstances of a given case and the
variability in time, which is an essential feature of a public interest. There
is no standard hierarchy among public interests; which of them prevails depends
on the actual case. According to case law, all interests must be weighed in an
effort to preserve as many of them as possible. This is crucial for
environmental protection and the conservation of cultural monuments – two
typical areas of public interest which come into conflict with economic and
social needs.&#38;nbsp; Even the interest of a
town or its populace may be a public interest, for example, permitting the
removal or placement of statues in open country. 


Specific
rules for weighing public interest can be inferred from legal regulations and
case law. Because the protection of certain interests is already based on
international and EU law, the conclusions of the International Court of Justice
and particularly the CJEU are also essential. 


At the moment we are
examining the area known as Bratislava Lido as a case study. A vast piece of
land which, despite the fact that it is centrally situated within the city, has
not been comprehensively urbanized. Lido is a vague terrain in which various
biotopes, wild alluvial forests, fragments of developed rural areas, sports
clubs, the ruins of a former military barracks and allotment gardens frequently
used by the homeless, overlap and coexist. Since 2017, the two most powerful
developers in Slovakia, J&#38;amp;T and HB Reavis, have been planning to build a modern
city district here called Nové Lido. Thus, diverse natural and social
“biotopes” will be replaced by naturally and socially less diverse communities.
These days, personal ownership rights are accorded great significance and this
is reflected in legislation. Is the way in which our legislation restricts
ownership rights and limits the use of territory, sufficient? (not only in case
of evident exploitation, but also in the satisfaction of the majority, such as
the creation of a park or pedestrian zone)?


From the
legal aspect, land use plans in a town are comprised of at least three levels. &#38;nbsp;


The first is the requirement of the well-balanced
development of the city. To a great extent, decision-making regarding the
further direction of the city is at the discretion of politicians. If I, as a citizen,
am not satisfied, I can seek to change it by voting in elections and referenda.
But even such decision-making does not take place in a vacuum, and Czech and
Slovak legislation stipulates that it will coordinate various interests and
respect sustainable development principles while preserving continuity in territorial
development. Therefore, the Czech courts reject land use plans which remove
city greenery or unjustifiably restrict an established level of nature
protection or housing comfort. 


Individuals and associations in Prague and Brno were
similarly successful in legal cases against measures which unjustifiably eliminated
two-way bike paths. Just as the outlook on self-government competences has been
developing, public demands on municipalities and regions are also being
clarified.&#38;nbsp; We have encountered cases in
which the legality of a regulation has been questioned. But it is only a matter
of time when actions requesting regulation with certain content will occur. In
the Czech Republic the courts may not order the adoption of a regulation
according to a plaintiff’s ideas. But they may state that the inertia of the
state or town constitutes illegal intervention which forces the removal of an undesirable
state and opens space for requesting compensation for damages.&#38;nbsp; We have registered dozens of such cases.
Thus, political discretion is at least theoretically restricted and cannot
serve as an excuse for uncertainty, incapability or the unjustified preference
of certain interests. And this holds true for solutions for the consequences of
climate change or the building of bicycle infrastructure. &#38;nbsp;


This does not mean that it is simply possible to
enforce the preservation of natural or socially valuable areas in a city. However,
since even a compromise can be considered as a valuable victory against a powerful
political foe, we shall turn to the concept of the Right to the City, although
in a slightly different meaning than the original one. If parts of nature are
actually valuable, it is entitled to statutory legal protection, which can
mostly be derogated from if prevailing interests exist and no other solution is
available. The second level then is the exercising of legal protective regimes
and the weighing of interests in a specific case, which has been discussed. In
this respect, the legislation, with occasional exceptions, does not specify
which values must be taken into consideration and added to the scale. However,
the reasons and level of legal protection, uniqueness in the local and wider
region, development tendencies, predictions
of sustainability and the achievement of a favorable status, importance within the
ecosystem and bonds to other protected interests can be inferred to reside with
the party of the environment. The value of the provided environmental services,
i.e., the economic recovery rate, and social, cultural, religious, recreational
and urbanistic values, are also important. In terms of the party of the planned
project, what must be assessed in particular is the necessity of the
implementation, the size and enduring nature of its benefits and the circle of its
beneficiaries. In general, private projects can also serve to fulfill public
interests.&#38;nbsp; 


Modern cities need to develop and the complete absence
of cranes from a city skyline is never good. Since an urban environment is
fluid, its populace is not entitled to the stability of the environment in
which it lives. The noise of the music of the city center and increased traffic
in the suburbs must be expected.&#38;nbsp; After
all, this corresponds to real estate prices in various parts of city. 


I am against the ostracization of strong developers,
which can be a curse and blessing for a city. It appears that quality and
problematic construction is always the result of the functioning of the city
and the builder. The size of a city plays a minor role compared to the level of
enlightenment of the management of a long-term development concept. If you want
a good example of what a small town can accomplish, go to Litomyšl in Eastern
Bohemia. Brno, which is overrun by cars, is the opposite example of
development, which has become frozen in time. 


It is only right that great legal significance be
given to ownership. The constitutional anchoring of ownership is the basis for an
economic system and a precondition for the economic motivation of individuals;
it also enables the fulfilment of the functions of the state and the guarantee
of solidarity among citizens in the area of social rights. However, the protection
of ownership rights is not unlimited. &#38;nbsp;For
example, the European Court of Human Rights held that if someone purchases land
on which territorial protection has been declared or is expected to be
declared, the owner must expect that its use will be restricted. Even a
cultural monument cannot be simply demolished, although it is possible to
consider that its use will be adapted to standards of the 21st
century. However, restrictions of ownership rights should be conceptual, appropriate
and predictable, in the case of expropriation for a fair compensation.
Ownership enables development, but is binding at the same time. As the Slovak
Constitution and the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms both
state, it may not be misused to the detriment of the rights of others or at
variance with the general interests protected by law. This applies to small
owners as well as large developers.

&#60;img width="2400" height="1600" width_o="2400" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f95a8818271d5459e08caac049e77784ebc52fe13e984564aee86a8c0310f576/Vomka_web3.jpg" data-mid="77248262" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f95a8818271d5459e08caac049e77784ebc52fe13e984564aee86a8c0310f576/Vomka_web3.jpg" /&#62;


Vojtěch Vomáčka is assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University
(Brno) and legal advisor at the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech
Republic. He completed postgraduate studies in Administrative and
Environmental Law at Masaryk University and LL.M. in International and
European Business Law at ELTE Budapest. He is also an external lecturer for the
Czech and Slovak Judicial Academy and member of the European Commission
Expert Group on Access to Justice. In the field of nature protection, he cooperates
with nature protection inspectorates, prosecutors and both national and
international NGOs. In his research work, he is particularly interested in EU and
international environmental law, transboundary environmental impact
assessment, biodiversity protection and animal welfar


	&#60;img width="667" height="1000" width_o="667" height_o="1000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e6ed1f6eb305c3bc2f6f2acc252d1d4bb214bee3b195238ea6c433fcebca5296/IMG_9198.jpg" data-mid="77285225" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/667/i/e6ed1f6eb305c3bc2f6f2acc252d1d4bb214bee3b195238ea6c433fcebca5296/IMG_9198.jpg" /&#62;


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PHOTO CREDITS: Andrea Kalinová


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		<title>Contact</title>
				
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		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:29:09 +0000</pubDate>

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	Urban Imagination Seminar is a project organised by tranzit.sk 
in collaboration with

Eliška Mazalanová, Ivana Rumanová and Peter Szalay and&#38;nbsp;

Department of Architecture of the Historical Institute, Slovak Academy of
Sciences


CONTACTStranzit.sk adress: Beskydská 12, 811 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

sk.tranzit.org

sk.office@tranzit.org


Eliška Mazalanová eliska.m@gmail.comIvana Rumanová iva.rumanova@gmail.comPeter Szalay peter.szalay@savba.sk


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Supported using public funds by Slovak Arts Council and Bratislava City Foundation


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