Slovenia

There is one larger metropolitan area around the capital city Ljubljana and several medium-sized urban areas, such as Maribor, Kranj, Celje, Velenje, Koper and Novo Mesto.

Although Slovenia’s cities are rather small in European terms, some urban areas are sprawling and urban lifestyle prevails among its citizens. The biggest challenges in Slovenia are urban sprawl and related mobility issues, degraded or underused inner urban areas, and energy efficiency.

In previous two decades, Slovenia invested heavily in its motorway system, leaving behind all other modes of transport, and causing a sharp increase in transport related energy consumption. Particularly public transport now needs improvement, as well as conditions for biking and walking in towns and cities. 

Another important issue is unemployment that is alarmingly high especially among young people. The autonomy of young people is challenged also by poor access to rental housing.

Elderly, on the other hand, very often live in oversized individual houses in the suburbs or big apartments in the cities, which they often cannot maintain, causing additional challenges for urban regeneration.