Abstract
The northern part of Nicosia (Cyprus) has suffered a long period of isolation since the partition of the country and the establishment of a buffer zone through the city in 1974. As the situation continues to ease, and with the principal pedestrian land crossings in the city centre opened in 2008, the central area of the city has experienced development pressure accompanied by critical lack of resources and infrastructure. The Central Area is a small place of less than 10,000 residents, yet it hosts important administrative functions and is at the centre of international political tensions: discussions about resolution of the ‘Cyprus problem’, difficulties related to being a non-recognised country, a potential trade future with the EU that could change everything, and economic volatility linked to Turkey. This unusual situation has produced a distinctive mix of local reliance, grass root entrepreneurship and staunch symbolic attachment to the value of heritage, combined with dependence on international funding, collaboration across borders and internationalism. Some aspects of current planning have not yet become part of local thinking: there is no comprehensive and data-driven spatial and economic understanding, and no regulations for climate change, social inclusion and sustainable mobility. The Strategic Plan is intended to identify the future direction for the centre to align urban improvements, infrastructure and economic potential and provide a framework which will foster collaboration between different levels of administrations and funding institutions. Through site research and investigation, extensive stakeholder engagement (individual meetings, focus groups and larger workshops), alternative options were explored to establish the components of a shared vision at the foundation of strategic recommendations and an action plan. Stakeholders’ views are reflected in the proposed strategy, which supports the centrality of the Walled City (and its role in creating a whole city across the buffer zone) by an overall approach of ‘slow growth’ – protecting and facilitating local activities, without aiming to accelerate growth and ‘touristification’. The case study will present the approach taken to diversify and spread the inner strength of the area, creating strategic ties and promoting new activities and local character outside the Walled City, through support of local entrepreneurship, better connectivity, use of local materials and building knowledge, which is climate friendly and characteristic of the city. Pressures for more conventional investment are accommodated and tempered by design requirements, with the specific objective of leveraging public sector land and creating areas with different character and relative role. Strong emphasis on sustainability and environment is made through expansion of biodiversity and creation of green corridors connecting the whole city, even if partly accessible in the short term and reversing the loss of gardens and agricultural planting in the city. Sustainable water management in the streets and incentivization of environmentally efficient buildings are suggested to improve the resilience of the city in future. Dialogue with key stakeholders and various parts of the administrations are aimed at establishing collaborations and supporting consensual implementation – a critical factor in a small place, where stakeholders can be very influential. The Covid-19 crisis has prompted a change in focus for the project outputs and timescales and the opening of a new line of investigations into immediate actions required to counterbalance potential impact, keeping the long-term aspirations on track.
