Rijeka, Croatia
2002 - 2005 IPF Fellow

Mirna Karzen ensures the involvement of communities in the creation of urban public spaces

Promoting open policymaking within communities

Croatian fellow Mirna Karzen mobilized policymakers, foundations, and local communities to create public spaces in a climate of post-war urban development. Since her fellowship, she has continued to work on projects promoting community involvement in the development of public spaces with support from multiple donors. Her policy studies and further information about the project are available at www.policy.hu/karzen.


Affiliation: Founder of a community foundation dealing with public spaces/sustainable development, established with support from the Croatian government, Rijeka, Croatia
e-mail: karzen@policy.hu
website: http://www.policy.hu/karzen/

Fellow projects
2004 - 2005: Urban spaces in Croatia: A process of development
The objectives of the project are to promote a community-based approach to public space development in various towns and counties in Croatia and in the post-Yugoslav region (primarily Serbia); develop more long-term strategies for funding citizen initiatives and promoting partnership building; focus on implementation of the previous fellowship project findings and policy recommendations; and write a research and policy paper for local governments and self-governments (community councils) of Croatia and Serbia, as well as for community groups, NGOs and international organizations involved in the local government reform and the citizen participation building such as Urban Institute, AED, USAID and others.

Working groups: Urban Policy

Relevant countries: Croatia


2002 - 2003: Sustainable towns of Croatia
The goal of the project is explore the state and problems of Croatian towns with a special emphasis on public spaces; encourage partnerships among various sector representatives in developing more creative, livable public spaces by bringing communities together through a variety of activities (entertainment, culture, small business and/or ecotourism); and write a research and policy paper for a multi-sector, community-based approach to urban revitalization and development for national and local governmental agencies including the Ministry of Urban Planning and Environment; local government representatives of cities including Rjeka and Omisalj; international organizations including the Urban Institute, the Project for Public Spaces and the Environmental Partnership for Central and Eastern Europe; private donors including the Mott Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; and local non-governmental organizations and private sector representatives.

Working groups: Urban Policy, Economic Development and Microfinance Policy

Relevant countries: Croatia