The Role of Urban Planning in the Practice of Adding Lateral and Vertical Extensions to Existing Residential Buildings

<p>In the city of Skopje there are many existing residential buildings which have been subjected to lateral and vertical extensions. This research paper questions the role of urban planning in the practice of adding surface area and additional floors to existing residential buildings, while considering the concept of sustainable urban development.</p> <p>The lateral and vertical extensions applied to existing residential buildings were analyzed through a case study, an urban block in Municipality of Karposh in Skopje. The urban block and its buildings were compared in different periods to define the amount of changes in terms of enlargements applied compared to the initial state of the buildings. To conduct the study, the geodetic survey map, Detailed Urban Plan, an on-site survey study by IZIIS, Google Maps and the cadaster GIS database served as information sources.</p> <p>In the case of existing buildings, the Detailed Urban Plans do not clearly specify if the changes to urban parameters, such as surface area, number of floors, building percentage and coefficient of use, mean replacing the existing buildings with new ones or applying lateral and vertical extensions to the existing buildings. Viewed from the aspect of sustainable development, the practice of extensions over the long-term has negative impacts, such as reduced amount of natural light indoors due to enlargements, interference with the initial architectural value of the building (aesthetics), insufficient number of car parking spaces and increased seismic risk.</p> <p>The main aim of this study is to increase the awareness about the importance of applying the concept of sustainability in urban planning when dealing with the existing urban areas. The urban planners, decision-making authorities responsible for regulating the physical spaces and the citizens should be informed about sustainable urban development to achieve higher quality living environments.</p>