*2.1. The Case Study Area*

The case study relates to the traditional historical centre of Podgorica, Mirkova Varoš (Figure 1) and its twelve characteristic street spaces (Figure 2).

**Figure 1.** (**a**) The municipality of Podgorica [48]; (**b**) the position of Mirkova Varoš [49]; and (**c**) identification of 12 streets in Mirkova Varoš.

**Figure 2.** Spatial disposition of the case study streets of Mirkova Varoš.

2.1.1. The Urban Genesis of Podgorica. The Structure and Development of the Traditional Centre, Mirkova Varoš

Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro and, according to the latest census in 2011, it has around 186,000 inhabitants [50]. We traced the urban genesis of Podgorica through several periods: (a) the Roman period (Doclea and Birziminium); (b) the period of medieval Slavic states (Ribnica); (c) the Turkish period (Podgorica); (d) Podgorica 1879–1945; and e) the period after the Second World War (Titograd 1946–1992; Podgorica 1992–present) (Figure 3).

**Figure 3.** The urban genesis of Podgorica/Titograd; (**a**) The Roman period; (**b**) the period of medieval Slavic states; (**c**) the Turkish period; (**d**) Podgorica 1879–1945; and (**e**) Titograd 1946–1971 [49].

The initial beginnings of the development of present-day Podgorica are linked to the first settlement at the mouth of the river Zeta into the river Moraˇca, founded by the Illyrians (the tribe of Doclea) at the end of the 3rd century BC. Accordingly, the later formed state was named Duklja. Under Roman rule, from the 1st century AD, Duklja became part of the province of Dalmatia. Romans formed the Roman settlement Birziminium on the river Ribnica [51–53]. Due to its strategic location, Duklja was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, most recently in the 6th century. Stagnation of the city followed this period.

During the Turkish period, in the late 15th century, the Turks began to build a large fort, made of stone from Duklja. A town developed within the fortress with towers and ramparts. Structures also developed outside the walls, along the left bank of the river, and a trade and craft centre was formed. At the beginning of the 17th century, Podgorica had about 900 houses and around 6540 inhabitants [54,55].

The period after the Berlin Congress is significant because of the city's strong transformation, as well as the influx of new population and higher levels of social development, with strong implications for the city's overall spatial development. With the annexation of Podgorica to the Principality of Montenegro, the planned development of the city began on the undeveloped areas of the right bank of the river Ribnica. The construction period under the first regulation plan of the Russian engineer Vorman, lasted from 1879 to 1945 [54–58]. This plan was developed on an orthogonal grid of streets, with a rectangular square resting on the main connection of the new part of the city, Nova Varoš (better known as Mirkova Varoš) and Stara Varoš, and the city had functionally good connections with inherited urban tissue.

The urban structure of Mirkova Varoš, with a recognizable orthogonal matrix, was generated with seven inner and four circumferential traffic routes, and a total of 20 (five in one direction and four the other way) urban blocks of 90 × 120 m, of which the central block contains the main city square of Podgorica—Independence Square.

The urban conception of Mirkova Varoš was based on the true measure of urban formation and the possibility of expansion via a similar principle. Subdivision within the blocks was carried out according to the principle of uniformly wide, narrow, and long parcels, varying between 10, 12 and 14 m, with equal storeys in the buildings that form a recognizable street sequence, while private gardens form the inner areas of the blocks (Figure 4).

**Figure 4.** (**a**) Vorman's plan [52]; and (**b**) parcelling of the characteristic block of Mirkova Varoš [49].

During the Second World War, Podgorica was bombed several times, with over 60% of its construction stock destroyed and 96% of its buildings damaged. After the war, there was a period of reconstruction (Figure 5) and more intensive development of the city, predominantly over the Moraˇca River—the development of the New City, with the formation of a new centre and significant consolidation of the urban block size [48,54,55]. The main axis, the "via principalis", was set up as the urban backbone of the city, which linked all three city structures: the Old Town, Mirkova Varoš, and the New City across the Moraˇca River. The period after the Second World War is also significant for the rapid development of industry in Podgorica, largely located in the part of the city across the Moraˇca. In macro terms, this industry becomes a leading economic branch, in accordance with the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia development strategy.

The urban structure of Mirkova Varoš was formed by planning, in a specific historical and socio-political context, according to the urban conception of engineer Vorman, and this established the foundations of the urban and cultural identity of present-day Podgorica. However, transitional and globalization processes have contributed to the rapid transformation of the city's society, which is more oriented towards consumerism and different types of entertainment in interior public spaces. This is reflected in the traditional public spaces of Podgorica, reducing the attractiveness of the traditional city centre and street spaces. With the construction of the Delta City shopping mall in 2008, in the part of the city across the Moraˇca, the shopping streets of Mirkova Varoš began to noticeably lose their former importance (commercial, business, and touristic). The urban life of the historic centre is vanishing, and with the development of a consumer society, there has been an "urban spillover" of users who replace the open public spaces of the traditional city centre with closed public spaces (i.e., shopping centres with impoverished social power).

**Figure 5.** Reconstruction of the city after World War II. Photo from the 1960s.

### 2.1.2. Current Condition of Mirkova Varoš

The transition period, beginning in the 1990s, was fatal for the industrial giants that built Podgorica's economy and the identity of the city (Radoje Daki´c and Marko Radovi´c factories, Tobacco Plant, Titex). The lack of financial resources to modernize production techniques and maintain facilities, the lack of adjustment to global trends, and the lack of market competitiveness have all led to the weakening and closure of factories, suggesting a social crisis. The city began to expand, and abandoned industrial sites became breakpoints of continuity in the city's development. The increased influence of private investors in city planning processes has led to the dominant planning of new residential blocks and shopping malls in the city area across the Moraˇca at former industrial sites. The apparent "comfort" of indoor public spaces (inside shopping malls) has caused a large number of users to leave the traditional city centre. The reduced number of users and the lack of attractiveness of public spaces and content within the commercially oriented streets of Mirkova Varoš have led to a state of physical and urban degradation in the traditional centre of Podgorica. The regulated demolition of objects within the defined urban matrix and the insertion of inadequate architecture have contributed to the loss of the authentic Mirkova Varoš' identity.

Detailed urban plans for Mirkova Varoš, made in the 1990s for each of the blocks, allowed for upgrades in its street structures. This plan led to the expansion of construction in that part of the city, with a significant increase in housing density. The increased number of occupants also meant an increase in the number of cars, which resulted in an infrastructural congestion and reduced comfort of life in the historic city centre. The construction of a large number of new apartments and commercial buildings was not supported by an adequate solution for parking places, and increased car traffic in the centre disrupted pedestrian traffic.

The Spatial Plan of Podgorica [48] recorded demographic changes, which indicate a constant population increase in the capital, with a change index of 1.11 during the period 2003–2011, while in Mirkova Varoš, the traditional city centre, there has been a population decline, with a change index of 0.93, during the period 2001–2011.

Numerous authors are looking at the reduced concentration of users as the cause behind people "abandoning" the centre. This type of reduction is often caused by insufficient commercial and business activities, and the reduced options for employment, as well as in housing conditions [58,59]. This further reduces the intensity of use of public urban spaces [59] and has precipitated a decline in cultural and creative capacities [59], as well as a lower productivity of the centre [60].
