Within the selection of cities for City Visions, I think that Košice is an exception due to its location. The other towns are close to bigger cities – Mechelen is close to Brussels, Pilsen is close to Prague. Bordeaux is, of course, also the only larger city in its area, but it still plays a central role within Europe. Do you think that the isolated position of Košice is an advantage or a disadvantage for it as a mid-scale city?

Košice has been the centre of its area ever since the middle ages. In the early middle ages it was very strong and important, because it was situated at a commercial crossroads. It still has great potential based on that period. Of course after the Second World War, the city didn’t develop so much. Only the industry was developed, which brought new inhabitants, but it also changed the relationship between the citizens and their city. Now we have a new political system, and for the last 15 years we have been asking ourselves who we are and where we’re going within Europe.

In the meantime, Bratislava developed very quickly, and Prague has become a very important city within Europe, just like Budapest. All of these cities are well-established centres, and Košice, located in-between the capitals, belongs to this network. There are no other large cities in our immediate surroundings, and I think that that’s a great chance for Košice. We have traffic connections to many countries, for example a direct railway connection to Finland, which uses the same rail system. There’s also an international airport. In addition, we have a young population with a high level of education, because we’re a university city.

Which role can a future development of the river banks play for Košice? What can it add to the qualities of the city?

River banks are always very attractive and important places. It will be a long-term development, but I think that we must definitely focus on this part of the city. We have to come up with ideas and we have to start a slow, continuous and sustainable development of the area. Water always adds quality to life and to neighbourhoods. I’m also sure that developing the river banks can be a protection for the old city centre, keeping out property speculation and hypercommercial interests. New facilities, which are  doubtlessly required in Košice, can be placed there.

Do you mainly see this as an opportunity to create residential functions?

No, I think there should be a mixture of everything. I’ve visited a lot of cities, and I’ve seen green spaces and sports facilities around offices and commercial zones on river banks. Of course there have to be residents, otherwise there won’t be life, like in the downtown areas of American cities.

Is there a real need for additional housing and other functions in Kosice? Is the population increasing?

We have to create work opportunities as well, of course. I’m sure that that will attract young people. Over the last years, thousands of young people from Slovakia left the country and went abroad, because there were more work opportunities and better living conditions in other European countries. But there are good and bad sides to everything. For example, we introduced the Euro at the beginning of this year, exactly at the moment when the economic crisis hit home, which created a difficult situation. But on the other hand, it has made investing in Slovakia much easier for foreigners due to the uniform currency. All this makes it quite attractive for people to come here.

And what about the issue of ground pollution along the river banks? There’s the old magnesium factory, for instance. Isn’t that a problem for future development?

Well, there are some polluted spots along the river where the factories used to be, but there are also many areas where the ground is clean. Of course nobody wants to take responsibility for something that their predecessors caused, but as citizens we don’t have any choice, we’ll have to deal with the polluted stretches of land. I’m not going to say that we’ll take care of this problem immediately, but in the long run we’ll have to do something about it.

What kind of projects would you like to see from the City Visions teams: suggestions on an urban scale or rather small interventions?

I think that large-scale ideas are nice to discuss among professional colleagues. But it might be a more useful strategy if they focus on a few strategic spots and make proposals for them.

Interview by Anneke Bokern for City Visions Europe