Zagreb, Croatia
A new pedestrian street becomes the city’s “living room”
The Project
The City of Zagreb is known for nurturing the culture of street art and also for prioritizing the expansion of pedestrian zones. Often referred to as the “living room” of the city, such pedestrian areas are lively places for people to shop, dine, and meet friends.
Vibrant Marticeva Street is located in the heart of Zagreb, and as it became increasingly popular for businesses and pedestrians, it was closed to vehicular traffic and an open call was conducted to identify a local street artist to create an asphalt mural. The selected design incorporated motifs found in the courtyards and staircases of historic buildings, then traced onto the asphalt.
Similarly, Masaykova Street reflects the true spirit of Zagreb with its street performers and thriving shops and restaurants. There were several previous attempts at closing the street to cars, but this new installation is designed to make the new pedestrian zone permanent.
For both of these projects in the city center, the goal was to create a greener, more humanized urban realm. During the weeklong installation for each, residents came out to watch the murals being created, demonstrating that the goal of the installations—to create spaces for people to gather—was already achieved. The hope is that these projects will inspire further expansion of pedestrian areas across the city.
- There was a 24% increase in people reporting feeling safe on the street after the installation
- Cycling on the street increased by 57% after the installation
- Pedestrian travel in the area grew by 77% after the installation
“It is very important for this City Administration to expand pedestrian zones, move away from the car-centric city and return the city to pedestrians and cyclists. We have already done several projects in that spirit, and the continuation of that is Mala Martićeva, which we remodeled in a surreal spirit – an interiorization of the exterior.”
Luka Korlaet, Deputy Mayor of the City Zagreb
“By introducing pedestrian zones, we want to improve the quality of life for residents in terms of reducing noise and pollution, and for all citizens and our guests to enjoy safe and pleasant views of the inner city center based on the model of the most developed Western European metropolises.”
Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of the City of Zagreb
Use the slider to see the transformation
Press
Marticeva:
Martić Got a New Magical Outfit. It is Arranged Like a Living Room. (Journal, June 2, 2023)
Living Room in the Middle of Zagreb: The Floor Mural in “Mala Martićeva” Delighted Passers-By (Gloria, June 2, 2023)
New Clothes for ‘Mala Martićeva’ (Grazia Croatia, June 2, 2023)
See What Zagreb’s Martićeva Looks Like After it is Closed to Traffic (Jutarnji, June 1, 2023)
Masarykova:
Do You Even Know What the Mural in the Center of Zagreb Shows? (Index Magazine, September 22, 2023)
The Painted Intersection of Masaryk and Preradović Attracted the Attention of the People of Zagreb (Index Magazine, September 18, 2023)
Author of Graffiti on the Street in Masarykova: ‘Cats Indicate Various Moods of passers-By, and Lightning was Drawn for Tesla’ (JutarnjiList, September 17, 2023)
New Pedestrian Zone Opened in Masarykova (City of Zagreb, Archive of City News, September 16, 2023)
For inspiration and tips for the creation of art on roadways and public places, download the Bloomberg Associates Asphalt Art Guide which features successful plaza and roadway art activations around the world, as well as key steps for developing such projects.
