How will the sustainability aspiration of the 2007 constitution of Montenegro be realised in the developing architectural and urban form of the Boka Kotorska region?
This thesis examines the potential to establish a resilient model of urban
development in the Boka Kotorska region of Montenegro (Figure. 1)
against a backdrop of dynamic adjustment to economic models, urban
form and the cultural identity of local communities. As such, it examines
the role of vernacular architecture, ecologies and philosophies as a
stimulus for a more indicative model of facilitating healthier ecosystems within a region that proclaims its ecological ambitions in its post
independence constitution of 2007. Developers in the study appear to be
quick to market the vernacular as a marker of sustainability based on
tradition and supposed innate relationships with cultural heritage.
However, the concept of vernacular is founded on its etymological origins,
therefore open to interpretation, which can result in ambiguous depictions
of vernacular architecture and landscapes within urban developments.
The traditions and cultural heritage of Montenegro and by extension the
Boka Kotorska is complex. Montenegro is geopolitically wavering between
closer relationships with the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO) and historic connections with Serbia, Russia
and the Eastern Orthodox religion. Additionally, Montenegro is a selfdeclared
eco state, on the face of it committed to ecological values, but
the objective of creating this will be compromised if the population is not
empathetic to environmental objectives.
Examining areas in transformation within the Boka region this thesis
considers the reshaping of urban form and the consequential effect on
cultural identity. Accordingly, the primary objective of this thesis is to
examine the suitability of existing sustainable and resilience models to the
long-term ecological health of the region. Additionally, a pragmatic and
accessible sustainable development tool is initiated as a more culturally
sensitive marker of ecosystem health. The Vernacular Ecology Index (VEI)
is a newly designed assessment method for sustainable urban
development. It is composed of five elements (energy, culture, systems,
placeness and vernacular) that are indicative of the spirit of the subjective
and objective within the context of the urban ecosystem. Within the
components there are integrated indicators that aim to reflect and
measure the viability of the individual element. When synthesized with
their counterparts the index indicates strengths and areas in need of
improvement within the designated study subject. Most importantly the
index acts as a visual illustration of ecological progress as it is a critical
intention to involve communities in the process of ecological appraisal, or put simply ‘mutual interaction’. One of the primary purposes of the
Vernacular Ecosystem Index (VEI) tool is to establish networks of
benchmark practice in order to stimulate feedback loops to complimentary
regions, ultimately benefitting the broader bioregion. Applying the index to
a number of projects in a stipulated locality effectively offers an overview
of the urban ecosystem’s health that could potentially pinpoint ecological
strengths and weaknesses of the identified region.
If ecological values are to be embedded within the cultural experiences of
local communities there should be a collective understanding of what that
means regarding urban development. It is therefore a foundational aspect
of this thesis to offer a more systematic approach to ecosystem health by
identifying a model of system appraisal based on vernacular conceptual
foundations