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Modern Visions and Development for the Eastern Part of Skopje

Abstract

During the twentieth century, Skopje underwent a process of modernization, moving away from the oriental urban structure inherited from Ottoman rule. While interwar urban plans introduced only subtle changes, through individual buildings, a decisive transformation occurred with the first post-war urban plan by Ludjek Kubesh in 1948, which established a clearly recognizable modern urban morphology. Skopje expanded from a compact central structure into a longitudinal city organized along a dominant east–west development axis, replacing the earlier north–south orientation. Modern architectural language subsequently became the prevailing framework of the city's urban planning.
This paper works on a critical review of several urban plans for the development of eastern Skopje, an area mostly dedicated for housing. Focusing on the period from the mid-twentieth century to the mid-1970s, the research reveals how varying socio-political, cultural, and natural conditions shaped the heterogeneous evolution of this territory.
Through a chronological analysis of archival material, the study examines both the projected residential visions and their realized forms, all carrying a recognizable modernist impulse. These range from plans emphasizing logical continuity within the city's urban fabric, to residential zones integrated with an ambitious sports park. The paper further addresses the rational planning responses to post-earthquake housing demands, the continuation and reinterpretation of Kenzo Tange's ideas, finishing on an eastern residential development envisioned as a "new modern city for 100,000 inhabitants". Collectively, these urban entities illustrate attempts to redefine Skopje's architectural direction, forming an interconnected urban milieu marked by clear and evolving modernist tendencies.