Ljubljana – a city with an evolving plan
I visited Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia for the first time in September 2026, arriving with limited insights on the city before we arrived for our 3-night stay. Each year we return to my homeland Ireland and select other countries for a mid-holiday break and this year it was for stops in Slovenia and Croatia.
Since being the CEO of Committee for Perth, I now look at cities with a different lens. Still on a quest for ideas and reflections on how places maximise their liveability. I have chosen to provide my reflections on this beautiful city with over 300,000 residents.
We arrived by coach from Trieste and caught a taxi from the bus station and we were dropped on the perimeter of the old town. Over 20 hectares of the town centre is closed to traffic since 2007. We were dropped off at the zone and walked in to find out hotel. On our departure day an electric buggy collected us and deposited us on the edge of the pedestrian centre a short walk to the bus station for our next stop.
If you are going to visit – I would recommend staying in the old town. It is exquisite and there is so much to see and do.
The thing that drives the success of Ljubljana is planning that started and continues to improve this city. Starting with the vision of architect Jože Plečnik and the continuous environmental ambitions that have delivered green space – EVERYWHERE!
Let’s start with the architect of the city, for 30 years from 1921 he reshaped Ljubljana through a series of small, connected public works. He believed the river that runs through the city was the spine of the city and therefore he maximised the main public space with embankments and terraces for all citizens. As I mentioned the old town is pedestrianised which is a joy for two reasons, it is quiet and feels alive and welcoming. It has all been designed and planned with the human in mind with places to walk, sit and gather and it also integrates the roman walls and medieval ruins into the placemaking. Our concierge highlighted the architect’s impact and suggested following a route through the city to see the impact his vision has left for visitors.
We noticed how clean everything was with dustbins meters apart and the quantity of green everywhere we looked. I went on a google mission and discovered that planning is in the DNA of this place, more recently than Plecnik, in 2007 the city adopted “Vision Ljubljana 2025” which was a long-term plan to transform the car centric congested city into a people centric green city and as a visitor in 2026 – the results are incredible. The city was awarded European Green Capital in 2016. In 2024 it was named an EU Climate-Neutral and Smart City and promoted as a model for other cities. Recycling has increased tenfold and landfill has been cut by 59%.
I discovered that Ljubljana is one of the greenest capitals in the world with 542 square meters of green space per resident which translates into everyone living within 300 metres of a public green area. How stunning is that!
Why does this matter for Perth? It demonstrates the power of planning and goal setting and the impact that it can have for future generations. It also highlights how plans can continue to evolve and improve outcomes both for residents and visitors alike. Imagine Fremantle or City of Vincent becoming totally pedestrianised, what would need to change and how would liveability improve?
The whole population of Slovenia is the population of Perth but here is a city that has prioritised liveability and green space, and this has made it a place that is a tourist destination and a city that celebrates its achievements for all.
Like Ljubljana, Perth can build its identity through courageous human scale planning, perhaps with our river at the centre and setting bold ambitions for greening our city so that future visitors and residents can reap the rewards.
Ljubljana you captured my heart and impressed me with your commitment to keeping the old and celebrating the new, thus improving the visitor and living experience. Perth has much to learn.
