Abstract Summary
With the shift from traditional planning based on medieval cities to Le Corbusier-inspired innovations of the 20th century, the legacy of both traditions poses major questions about sustainability and conservation for present-day cities. These two design traditions are compared by analysing their approach to urban morphology in categories such as grid, public space network and urban blocks. The analysis is supplemented by a range of examples from across Europe, to provide context for ways these approaches were materialised in Skopje, North Macedonia in during the Ottoman rule 1392-1914 and the ultra-modernist, brutalist post-earthquake reconstruction from 1963. Through the argumentation, it becomes evident that in real life examples, it is difficult to distinguish between modernist and non-modernist planning, making it impossible to fully reject modernist approaches. Still, the modernist failures that can be avoided in planning need to be addressed through climate conscious lens that consider the characteristics of designed area. For Skopje specifically, the strategy of resilience can be based on three pillars - earthquake resilience, environmentally friendly solutions and depoliticised catering for the city's diverse population. In this way, the Balkan capital could again, just like in 1963 for 20th century, become a breeding ground for new ideas in contemporary, 21st century planning.
