After 15 years in London, Petra Marko has moved back to Bratislava, stepped out of her practice and taken on a public sector role as chief executive of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava. She talks to AT about her ambitions for the institution and more.

Credit: Barbara Rusnáková.

Why was the Metropolitný Inštitút Bratislavy (MIB) set up?
The institute was set up in 2019 to help define and steer the city’s urban vision and strategy. It’s important to know the historical context of Slovakia in relation to MIB: Shortly after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the switch from a central planning system to the early days of capitalism led to a lot of dynamic development, which was very uncontrolled and lacked reflection on what kind of city people actually wanted. Many public assets fell into private hands without any conditions attached from the city which created a lot of distrust between the public, the city hall and developers.

Over the last decade, bottom-up initiatives started to spring up and encourage a critical evaluation of public spaces and buildings. We want life in public spaces to flourish and be for everyone, we want unused buildings to be brought back to life. In 2018 Matúš Vallo, who is an architect and also plays in a band – which is very popular in Slovakia! – was elected as Mayor of Bratislava. [Vallo was re-elected in 2022].

Vallo won off the back of his campaign that brought 70 experts together to compile a book, Plan Bratislava (Plan B), which defined a collective vision for the future of the city. Within this was also the idea of establishing an independent body concerning the built environment of the Bratislava metropolitan area: the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, based on similar institutes such as those in Prague and Milan.

The final design of the paving by Ján Urban, Roman Žitňanský, Martin Jenča. The paving is made by CITY STONE DESIGN s.r.o.

What is going on at MIB? What do you and the institute aim to achieve?
Our work entails the physical and psychological transformation of the city with its people – from urban planning, through to design principles, participatory placemaking, education and communication. We are, so to speak, in charge of answering the question: ‘What kind of city do we want?’

One of the first tasks for MIB was ‘Bratislava2030’ – a strategic development plan in collaboration with experts from the city hall, which gives us clear vision and direction with measurable targets. This year we are starting work on the new metropolitan plan for the city and have completed a study of brownfield sites with the goal to unlock public-private partnership (PPP) projects, working closely with the chief architect’s office.

At the fine grain scale of public spaces, we develop design guidance so that good practice can be scaled across the city and be implemented effectively. We map and analyse data that we need to support decisions for capital investment into transformation of streets towards more pedestrian friendly, enhancing cycling and public transport. We pilot projects in public spaces, from small interventions through to revitalisation of larger squares or parks. MIB also developed ‘Bratislava paving’ which enhances a sense of identity and pride for the city.

And finally, we act as a mediator and facilitator, engaging residents and different stakeholders into shaping the city and negotiating between public and private interest. Our City for Kids programme for instance focuses on the smallest and most vulnerable. By engaging children through participatory actions such as play streets or sensory walks, we can help recalibrate behaviour to make streets safer and more welcoming.

Are you funded by the city?
We are funded by the city but we source external income too in order to support our capacity; Bratislava is the second poorest capital city in Europe when it comes to the municipal finances per capita. This year, around 37 per cent of MIB funding is coming from external sources, whether through grant programmes, sponsorship or commissions from the private sector. Having the MIB is a smart move by the city as it allows it to increase capacity and fuel change in the built environment despite limited public finances.

And what kind of external sources?
UNICEF, for example, supported our ‘City for Kids’ project. Thanks to their funding we worked with 10 primary schools last year. This helped us to test and further scale up the programme of engagement and interventions that aim to improve safety around schools and encourage active mobility this year. This year we co-organised and hosted the first international summit Start with Children focused on child-friendly urban planning. It was a great opportunity to exchange know-how with city leaders and experts in the field such as Tim Gill, Dinah Bornat or Jan Gehl, and to see that we are on the right track with how we approach this here in Bratislava.

Another source is from developers. MIB has developed an urban study for 138-hectares of former industrial land where we were negotiating and bringing together around 20 landowners and developers into a framework so that they didn’t have to negotiate changes to the local plan on an individual basis. Instead, it all comes together as a package. The advantage is that the study developed by MIB looks at the neighbourhood holistically, embedding the principles of urban planning that we as the city want to see and have defined in our Bratislava2030 strategy: compact blocks, a walkable 15-minute neighbourhood, a boulevard with a tram, a hierarchy of public spaces, integrated amenities. Contributions in excess of 70 million euros will come into public infrastructure through this model.

Dunajská ulica, a street in Bratislava’s Old Town, has seen new street furniture and planting added to it to enhance the pedestrian experience.

What’s next for the Metropolitný Inštitút Bratislavy?
The city of Bratislava and MIB have the benefit of Bloomberg Associates helping us for the next few years based on a pro bono consultancy. Bloomberg is advising us across several topics, a major one being green mobility. The number of cars per inhabitant in Bratislava has almost doubled over the last decade, so Bloomberg is helping us to balance mobility options, including fast tracking of cycling infrastructure, traffic calming and improvement to pedestrian environment.

This cooperation is a fantastic opportunity for me as well, connecting my London life and international network with my new Bratislava base. [Marko grew up in Bratislava but spent 15 years living and working in London where she co-founded Marko&Placemakers].

Are you still connected to London?
I keep in touch with my network of friends and colleagues, and vice versa – I am introducing Bratislava to my London network. Most recently, I hosted a London group of our women cycling network which Sarah Featherstone wrote about. Sarah was also a speaker at our first MIB talk this year.

I also sit on the Westminster Council Design Review Panel which brings me back to London a few times a year to review and comment on major development schemes in the borough. It is refreshing to be part of a panel that is more than 50 per cent women and boasts a diversity of expertise beyond architecture, heritage and urban design; the panel includes ethnographers and social scientists among others.

I am truly grateful to be able to continue this exchange across Europe. London will always be my second home and a special place where I learnt so much and built my professional integrity.

Petra Marko and the wider MIB team.