Zagreb aims to add 1,000 public housing units to tackle affordability crisis

Zagreb's Deputy Mayor, Luka Korlaet, announced plans to expand the city's public housing fund by approximately 1,000 units, adding to the existing stock of around 6,500 apartments. This initiative aims to address the significant housing crisis gripping the Croatian capital, where the gap between the demand for affordable housing and market supply is estimated at 38,000 units.

The city is pursuing this expansion through new construction projects in three key locations: Podbrežje, Borovje, and Sveta Klara. In Podbrežje, a building with 288 apartments, codenamed A11, is nearing completion and is expected to house nearly a thousand residents next year. A sixth building, A2, with 150 apartments, is also being prepared for the area. Alongside residential construction, Podbrežje is also seeing development in social infrastructure, including a new kindergarten and a planned primary school.

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The housing crisis affects all major cities, including Zagreb. The so-called housing gap, the disparity between the need for affordable housing and the supply of such properties on the market, amounts to as much as 38,000 units in Zagreb. We are trying as an administration to address this crisis in various ways, both by revising decisions concerning better management of city apartments and by building new ones.

In Sveta Klara, the city is implementing designs from an international urban planning competition, Europan. This project will yield approximately one hundred housing units in a low-density neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Borovje area is seeing progress after a 20-year pause, with a plan for 600 affordable rental units. This development includes provisions for green spaces and underground parking. The city is also completing a new kindergarten and extending a primary school in Borovje. Once these projects are realized, they will house an additional 1,700 people, significantly contributing to alleviating Zagreb's housing shortage.

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We want to increase this number by about a thousand apartments and in this regard, we have initiated the design and construction at locations owned by the city in Podbrežje, Borovje, and Sveta Klara.