Ljubljana is part of the European Union’s Mission 100 to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 – sustainable mobility and transport are a key factor in this endeavour.
In her presentation at SIEF2025, EU-urge project member Saša Poljak Istenič (Institute of Slovenian Ethnology / ZRC SAZU) explored the tension between Ljubljana’s measures for a car-free city centre and the planned construction of an underground garage beneath the historically and socially significant city market.
Opposing civic initiatives and critics question how a city aiming to reduce traffic and achieve climate neutrality can simultaneously plan infrastructure that encourages increased car access to the centre. The debates over Ljubljana’s planned underground garage in a car-free zone reveal how hegemonic framings of climate neutrality define urgencies and exclude alternatives. Unwriting these narratives exposes challenges to align climate-neutral policies with broader environmental, social, and cultural considerations.
1. Examples of the city centre before and after 2007 © MOL 2. Ambitions to flip the pyramid of mobility © MOL 3. Surroundings and outline of the planned underground garage © MOL 4. & 5. Presentation of findings at SIEF 2025 in Aberdeen
