Ecological strategy for micro-cities. Montenegro case

In the time of uncontrolled growth; where growth refers to almost every last century’s phenomena, it is hard to assign the scale to a city and to call it by right terms micro-city. Is it a question of millions if we compare Milano to New Delhi? This case study issues the existence of cities that belong to a country which as a total population has a number of half of million people. The cities function as poles interconnected by this or that way in order to keep a functional network. Since they all have a simplified role depending on the position, the country could be considered a city that is tragically been divided into functional areas, and no multi-functionality exists here. But it is considered a city-country only when it comes to population. Montenegro has an area of 13.812 square meters, while its neighbour capital Belgrade accommodates three million people on 3.223 square meters. This living paradox is a consequence of long historical acts but also the (un)product of an economical, territorial and natural situation. As a matter of fact, Montenegro, besides the narrow coast line, lies on the minimum level of 47 meters, in solely this part of the capital city. Immediately on the thirty minutes car driving, there is the level of 700 meters. The nature that is in the borders of the country is dynamic in such a way that from its complexity, uncertainty and impenetrability leaves cities, or better towns, as simple as few thousands of people, with strictly necessary infrastructure, low rise dwellings, and closed factories as former engines of a city. In the era of buried industry, the cities continued to function around the taken-out spine.The spines were ex specialised industries employing two thirds of a city’s population. Economically weak and physically limited, they became representatives of a micro-environment that is relying upon its weaknesses. As the economy is still too weak to oppose the nature, natural catastrophes would have to be taken as the pulse for improving the first, on the level of just to continue the life of already starting to shrink settlements. Montenegro is a country whose one small town in North-West, called Crkvice, holds the record of the highest precipitation and rainfall on annual basis in Europe. The rain is what moves the country, but one can see that it keeps only nature dynamical, while cities do not follow. Because of the heavily accessible territory certain problems are following the general situation depending on the region. The contradiction is present in each of the three regions. The national parks in North are surrounded by cities that do not have basic landfills, and are suffering “not pollution, but mess”. the capital and old royal capital have the average rainfall around 1500 mm, yet are very often without electricity in wintertimes and without usable water during summer. The coastline is lacking the regular water for drinking, and in the summer usable water. Water is everywhere, yet nowhere. The regular rainfall infills running waters, which because of the steep natural condition, are not able to proceed gradually. This results in a too “watered” soil in the coastal line, leaving limits for acting and causing failures to the existing ones. Another backbone of the country is the buried indsutry. As mentioned above, the towns are mainly grown and concentrated around establishments of ex indsutries that certain town has been specialised in. Saying backbone, because, comparing to the size of the towns, the footprints of industries clearly take the big part of the same. As they were functioning on the level of ex-Yugoslavia, significantly bigger in size and different in relief and economy, the industries did not have the way out from the puzzled territory. Even though in ruins, these plants posses quality in form, size and still functioning systems for revitalizing the towns by revitializing them, and as to continue, the whole country. Almost each town has one of these plants, while six of them, strategically and territorrialy well positioned , have the ones in bestand most usable conditions. Depending on the region and its size and former function, the direction of revitalization assigned to each is different, yet connected to the natural condition itself. The three bigger plants in North area of Montenegro are called “the recyclers”, as they are working on absence of the landfills. Since the towns are suffering the impossibility of waste disposal, these devices certainly have simple, but essential role. The three heroes are helped by terms of auxilliary ones - the waste deposits. The central region suffers absence of another necessity : electricity. Even though it is a n area of the highest precipitation point, all the towns are likely to be without electrical power in winter . The two biggest former industries in Montenegro are situated exactly in this region; one is in the capital - Alluminum Plant Podgorica, and the other is Electroindustry OBOD in an old royal capital. The industries are closed, but have a great potential in terms of system present. That is way they are assigned the role of “the generator” , meaning that they are working as a collectors of the rainfall water, accumulating it and then use it for the generation of electricity in the off-light periods. They both work as revitalized areas, specially the one in capital, since it has accumulated during the years of work the great portion of red mud coming from the boxit, which represents significant treath to the environment. The last, but not least local device is named “the purificator”, as it works in another contradictory environment, in the region of coastline. As the matter of fact, the maritime towns are the last ones to have clean water for drinking, and, extremely in summer periods, are suffering the absence of not usable water at all. The saline plant in town of Ulcinj, works as “the purificator”, as it accumulates the water distributed from the auxiliary water-collectors, and uses certain plants and shrubs to the outcome of the clean and usable water. Its role is important also from environmental point of view, since the area is the only natural habitat of storks and flamingos in territory of Montenegro. The strategy takes the advantage both ecologically and culturally. As the nature conditions, the not gradual relief and tough rainfall, are the only maximal parameters on the micro-territory, they shall be re-directioned in order to help opening and challenging the cities. In order not to shrink completely, as they are moving towards nano scale city, the strategy must work on the level of the country by setting the poles that are rather taking the risk of failure, than being simply enclosed in its comfort eggshell. The phenomena of Montenegro are also cities that are stationary, not to say frozen, since they balance themselfs in their safe circle. Even though naturally protected from the impacts of rapid growth, it is necessary to elevate and act on the super-surface. If one stops moving, it dies.