The Slovak national law stating the obligation for urban planning documents is the Building Act Nr.50/1976. On a municipal level in transport planning there is also an obligation, for municipalities with a minimum 2 000 inhabitants, to have an urban master plan that addresses transport.
The single transport master plan, the so-called General Transport Plan, is not obligatory but voluntary; if a municipality decides to have one, it is essential for the urban planning development of a particular city.
Cities can also develop particular a master plan for specific transport mode, as public transport or cycling. Such a master plan is financed by the municipality, and can only be developed with authorised civil engineers. It is recommended to update an urban master plan or transport master plan every 5 years, but municipalities will only do so if they have the finances.
In last few years, municipalities are willing to develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) as they are a condition to receive finance from the European Union. At the moment, only two cities have SUMPs or special action transport plans. To ensure the good quality of SUMPs, the Slovak Ministry of Transport prepared in September 2015 guidelines on how to develop a SUMP.
On a national level there are several other strategies, for example the development of a national cycling strategy and a strategic plan of the development of transport infrastructure to 2020.
Author: Marian Gogola, University of Zilina
Member state contact:
Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development
References:
- Building Act Nr. 50/1976 - urban planning and building code
- Development of public transport
- National cycling strategy (opens pdf, 7.6 MB - in English)
- A list of Slovak urban master plans
Last updated: 6 November 2018