Editing Skopje (section)

== Urbanism ==

=== Urban morphology ===
[[File:GUP Skopje 2002 mal.jpg|thumb|Skopje urban plan for 2002–2020:
<div>
{{Legend|#A42424|City centre}}
{{Legend|#FFA500|Collective housing}}
{{Legend|#FFF48D|Individual housing}}
{{Legend|#5472AE|Industrial areas}}
</div>]]

The urban morphology of Skopje was deeply impacted by the [[1963 Skopje earthquake|1963 earthquake]], which destroyed 80% of the city, and by its subsequent reconstruction.<ref name=damages/> For instance, neighbourhoods were rebuilt in such a way that the demographic density remains low to limit the impact of potential future earthquakes.<ref name=post/>

Reconstruction following the 1963 earthquake was mainly conducted by the Polish architect [[Adolf Ciborowski]], who had already planned the reconstruction of [[Warsaw]] after [[World War II]]. Ciborowski divided the city into blocks dedicated to specific activities. The banks of the [[Vardar]] river became natural areas and parks, areas between the main boulevards were built with [[high-rise]] housing and shopping centres, and the suburbs were left to individual housing and industry.<ref name="reconstruction">{{cite web |url=http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/faculties/alss/deps/law/staff0/home.Maincontent.0014.file.tmp/No7-Skopje.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412021744/http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/faculties/alss/deps/law/staff0/home.Maincontent.0014.file.tmp/No7-Skopje.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2012 |title=Rebuilding Skopje |author=Robert Homes |publisher=Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and Chelmsford |access-date=26 February 2011}}</ref> Reconstruction had to be quick to relocate families and to relaunch the local economy. To stimulate economic development, the number of thoroughfares was increased, and future urban extension was anticipated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kocaeli2007.kocaeli.edu.tr/kocaeli2007/TAM_METIN_NUMARALI-SIRALI-PDF/645-649.pdf |title=Urbanistic aspects of post earthquake reconstruction and renewal – experiences of Skopje following earthquake of July 26, 1963 |year=2007 |publisher=International Earthquake Symposium Kocaeli 2007 |author=Zoran Milutinovic |access-date=24 March 2011 |archive-date=10 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110031038/http://kocaeli2007.kocaeli.edu.tr/kocaeli2007/TAM_METIN_NUMARALI-SIRALI-PDF/645-649.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Skopje SPOT 1114.jpg|thumb|left|Skopje as seen by the [[SPOT (satellite)|SPOT satellite]]. Mount Vodno is visible on the bottom left of the picture.]]
The south bank of the Vardar River generally comprises high-rise tower blocks, including the vast Karpoš neighbourhood which was built in the 1970s west of the city centre. Towards the east, the new municipality of [[Aerodrom Municipality (Skopje)|Aerodrom]] was planned in the 1980s to house 80,000 inhabitants on the site of the old airport. Between Karpoš and Aerodrom lies the city centre, rebuilt according to plans by Japanese architect [[Kenzo Tange]]. The centre is surrounded by a row of long buildings suggesting a wall ({{Lang|mk|Gradski Zid}}).<ref name=post/>

On the north bank, where the most ancient parts of the city lie, the [[Old Bazaar, Skopje|Old Bazaar]] was restored and its surroundings were rebuilt with low-rise buildings, so as not to spoil views of the [[Skopje Fortress]]. Several institutions, including the university and the [[Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts]], were also relocated to the north bank to reduce borders between the ethnic communities. The north bank is mostly inhabited by Muslim Albanians, Turks, and Roma, whereas Christian ethnic Macedonians predominantly reside on the south bank.<ref name=reconstruction/>

The earthquake left the city with few historical monuments, apart from the Ottoman-era [[Old Bazaar, Skopje|Old Bazaar]], and the reconstruction, conducted between the 1960s and 1980s, turned Skopje into a [[modernist architecture|modernist]] city. At the end of the 2000s, the city centre experienced profound changes. A highly controversial<ref>{{cite news |title=The makeover that's divided a nation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28951171 |access-date=6 February 2017 |work=BBC News |date=30 August 2014 |last1=Launey |first1=Guy De}}</ref> urban project, [[Skopje 2014]], was adopted by the municipal authorities to give the city a more monumental and historical aspect, and thus to transform it into a proper national capital. Several [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] buildings destroyed in the 1963 earthquake were rebuilt, including the national theatre, and the streets and squares were refurbished. Many other elements were also built, including fountains, statues, hotels, government buildings and bridges. The project has been criticised because of its cost and its historicist aesthetics.<ref name="objections">{{cite web |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/do-not-enter-yet-media-philip-of-macedon-also-in-skopje-s-center |title=Philip of Macedon Statute 'Planned' for Skopje Downtown |year=2010 |publisher=BalkanInsight |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> The large Albanian minority felt it was not represented in the new monuments,<ref name="Albanian objections">{{cite web |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-monuments-to-complement-skopje-2-aa4-project |title=Skopje: Controversy Over Albanian Monuments Continues |year=2010 |publisher=BalkanInsight |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> and launched side projects, including a new square over the boulevard that separates the city centre from the [[Old Bazaar, Skopje|Old Bazaar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/default.asp?ItemID=95A31B3469C5F944B1B1494BF41F31AE |title=Поставен камен-темелник на плоштадот Скендер-бег во Скопје |date=17 January 2012 |publisher=Dnevnik |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119203107/http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/default.asp?ItemID=95A31B3469C5F944B1B1494BF41F31AE |archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Skopje X48.JPG|Vapcarov Street, located in the city centre
File:Skopje - Old City (9454038410).jpg|A street in the [[Old Bazaar, Skopje|Old Bazaar]]
File:Towers Karpos4 Skopje.jpg|High-rise housing in Karpoš
File:Macedonian Cross Aerodrom 1.jpg|The Macedonian Cross and [[Cevahir Towers]]
File:Archaeological Museum of Macedonia.jpg|The archeological museum, one of the elements of [[Skopje 2014]]
</gallery>

=== Urban sociology ===
[[File:Kapistec.jpg|thumb|Kapištec neighbourhood, developed during the 1970s. Some post-earthquake prefabricated houses can be seen in the foreground.]]

Skopje is an ethnically diverse city, and its urban sociology primarily depends on ethnic and religious affiliation. [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]] form 66% of the city population, whilst [[Albanians in North Macedonia|Albanians]] and [[Roma in North Macedonia|Roma]] account respectively for 20% and 6%.<ref name="stats1"/> Each ethnic group generally [[self-segregates]] itself to certain areas of the city. Macedonians live south of the [[Vardar]] in areas massively rebuilt after 1963, whilst Muslims live on the northern side, in the oldest neighbourhoods of the city. These neighbourhoods are considered more traditional, whereas the south side evokes modernity to Macedonians.<ref name="thiesen57">{{Cite book |author=Ilká Thiessen |title=Waiting for Macedonia: Identity in a Changing World |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2007 |isbn=9781551117195 |page=57}}</ref>

The northern areas are the poorest; this is especially true for [[Topaana]], in [[Čair municipality]], and for [[Šuto Orizari municipality]], which are the two main Roma neighbourhoods. They are made of many illegal constructions not connected to the electric grid nor water supply, which are passed from one generation to another. Topaana, close to the [[Old Bazaar, Skopje|Old Bazaar]], is a very old area: it was first mentioned as a Roma neighbourhood in the beginning of the 14th century. It has between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants. Šuto Orizari, on the northern edge of the city, is a municipality of its own, with [[Romani language|Romani]] as its local official language. It was developed after the 1963 earthquake to accommodate Roma who had lost their homes.<ref name="roma"/>

The population density varies greatly from one area to another. So does the size of the living area per person. The city average was at {{cvt|19.41|m2|2|abbr=off}} per person {{As of|2002|lc=y}}, but at {{cvt|24|m2|0|abbr=off}} in [[Centar municipality (Skopje)|Centar]] on the south bank, and only {{cvt|14|m2|0|abbr=off}} in [[Čair municipality|Čair]] on the north bank. In [[Šuto Orizari municipality|Šuto Orizari]], the average was at {{cvt|13|m2|0|abbr=off}}.<ref name="stats1"/>

=== Localities and villages ===
[[File:Gorno Nerezi 2013 (1).JPG|thumb|[[Gorno Nerezi]], a village on the northern side of Mount Vodno]]

Outside of the urban area, the City of Skopje encompasses many small settlements. Some of them are becoming outer suburbs, such as [[Čento]], on the road to Belgrade, which has more than 23,000 inhabitants, and [[Dračevo, Skopje|Dračevo]], which has almost 20,000 inhabitants.<ref name="dwelling">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaX.pdf |title=Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Macedonia |year=2002 |publisher=State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia |access-date=16 October 2012}}</ref> Other large settlements are north of the city, such as [[Radišani]], with 9,000 inhabitants,<ref name="dwelling"/> whereas smaller villages can be found on Mount Vodno or in [[Saraj municipality]], which is the most rural of the ten municipalities that form the City of Skopje.<ref name="region"/>

Some localities outside the city limits are also becoming outer suburbs, particularly in [[Ilinden municipality|Ilinden]] and [[Petrovec municipality]]. They benefit from the presence of major roads, railways, and the airport, [[Skopje International]], in [[Petrovec, North Macedonia|Petrovec]].<ref name="region"/>

=== Pollution ===
[[File:Urban pollution ,Градско загадување.jpg|thumb|Pollution contributors in the area of Skopje]]

Air pollution is a serious problem in Skopje, especially in winter.<ref name="aljazeera">{{Cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/skopje-europe-polluted-capital-city-190312092012504.html |title=Inside Skopje, Europe's most polluted capital city |last=Lee and Mickute |first=Joi and Viktorija |date=19 March 2019 |website=Al Jazeera}}</ref> Concentrations of certain types of [[Particulates|particulate matter]] (PM2 and PM10) are regularly over twelve times the [[World Health Organization|WHO]]-recommended maximum levels. In winter, smoke regularly obscures vision and can lead to problems for motorists. Together with [[Kosovo]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[North Macedonia]] has the most polluted urban areas in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/articles/delhi-most-polluted-city-in-the-world/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/articles/delhi-most-polluted-city-in-the-world/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Delhi the most polluted city in the world |last=Smith |first=Oliver |date=5 November 2019 |website=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Skopje's high levels of pollution are caused by a combination of smoke from houses, emissions from the industry, public and private transport, and a general lack of interest in caring for the environment. Central heating is often not affordable, and so households often burn [[firewood]], as well as used car tyres, plastic waste, petroleum, and other possibly flammable waste, which emits toxic chemicals harmful to the population, especially to children and the elderly.<ref name="aljazeera" />

The city's smog has reduced its air quality and affected the health of many of its citizens, many of whom have died from pollution-related illnesses.

An [[Application software|application]] called ''AirCare'' ({{Langx|mk|МојВоздух|MojVozduh}}) has been launched by local eco-activist [[Gorjan Jovanovski]] to help citizens track pollution levels. It uses a [[traffic light]] system, with purple for heavily polluted air, red for high levels detected, [[Amber (colour)|amber]] for moderate levels detected, and green for when the air is safe to inhale.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.itu.int/how-skopje-north-macedonia-is-using-innovative-tech-to-clean-up-air-pollution/ |title=How Skopje is using innovative tech to clean up air pollution |last=ITU |date=5 June 2019 |website=ITU News |language=en |access-date=2 December 2019 |archive-date=2 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202214232/https://news.itu.int/how-skopje-north-macedonia-is-using-innovative-tech-to-clean-up-air-pollution/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The application relies on both government and volunteer [[sensor]]s to track hourly air pollution. Unfortunately, government sensors are frequently inoperable and malfunctioning, causing the need for more low-cost, but less accurate, volunteer sensors to be put up by citizens. Faults on government sensors are especially frequent when the pollution is measured is extremely high, according to the AQILHC (Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aqicn.org/city/macedonia/centar/ |title=Centar, Skopje, Macedonia Air Pollution: Real time Air Quality Index (AQI) |date=2 December 2019 |website=AQICN}}</ref>

Skopje topped the ranks in December 2017 as one of the most polluted cities in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Can urban environmental problems be overcome? The case of Skopje–world's most polluted city |first1=Slobodan |last1=Arsovski |first2=Michał |last2=Kwiatkowski |first3=Aleksandra |last3=Lewandowska |first4=Dimitrinka Jordanova |last4=Peshevska |first5=Emilija |last5=Sofeska |first6=Mirek |last6=Dymitrow |date=1 June 2018 |journal=Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series |volume=40 |issue=40 |pages=17–39 |doi=10.2478/bog-2018-0012 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2017, as part of the city's efforts to reduce pollution, a [[CityTrees|CityTree]] was installed, and promoted by German ambassador {{Interlanguage link|Christine Althauser|lt=Christine Althauser|de|Christine Althauser}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-22 |title=City Tree billboard installed in downtown Skopje |url=https://www.zaman.mk/en/macedonia/7513-city-tree-billboard-installed-in-downtown-skopje.html |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Zaman Macedonia |language=en-gb }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On 29 November 2019, a march, organised by the Skopje Smog Alarm activist community,<ref name="skopje-smog">{{Cite web |url=https://meta.mk/en/skopje-smog-alarm-asks-for-1-of-the-gdp-for-2018-for-the-protection-of-the-environment/ |title=Skopje Smog Alarm asks for 1% of the GDP of 2018 for the protection of the environment |date=7 November 2017 |website=META Mk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102081859/https://meta.mk/en/skopje-smog-alarm-asks-for-1-of-the-gdp-for-2018-for-the-protection-of-the-environment/?upm_export=html&lang=en |archive-date= Nov 2, 2023 }}</ref> attracted thousands of people who opposed the government's lack of action in dealing with the city's pollution, which has worsened since 2017, contributing to around 1300 deaths annually.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraf.rs/english/2606068-beijing-is-nothing-compared-to-skopje-air-pollution-is-too-high-four-men-die-each-day-photo |title=Beijing is nothing compared to Skopje – Air pollution is too high, four men die each day |last=J. |first=D. |date=7 February 2017 |website=Telegraf}}</ref><ref name="skopje-smog"/>{{wide image|Скопски смог - photo by Giotto Скопје, Р. Македонија , Skopje, R. Macedonia - panoramio.jpg|1291px|alt=|A panoramic view of the smog in the central area of Skopje}}