Challenges of Architectural Design in relation to Environment and Air Pollution. A Case study: Prishtina’s first public parking garage

Abstract

Cities are complex ecosystems with specific phenomenon directly reflected in our health, resources, economic, social and aesthetic fields. It can be conceptually considered that cities are locally and regionally specific. Urban planning is a process with a primary role to protect and use of environment, to manage spatial planning and urban infrastructure as a whole system. In relation to sustainability and implementation of multi-level law reinforcement, urban planning and design can significantly improve quality of life of their urbanites, particularly in relation to air pollution. Surely, long-term plans and strategies have been adopted in Kosovo, but the challenges will remain in implementation and in enforcement of these administrative instructions. Therefore, it is crucial to encourage every action, related to city functionality which will minimize air pollution. The new millennium began a crucial activity for the city of Prishtina in terms of demographic and socio-spatial phenomenon's. Prishtina is generally polluted due to its geomorphic position relative to the major polluters, power plants Kosovo A and B. In addition to that, the contamination is even bigger when the dominant winds prevail. The conceptual findings from this research proposes the necessity of careful driven urban solutions, regarding to the location and position of architectural structures which are not necessarily favourable to the urban, economic and health objectives.