Tetovo begins drafting a new urban plan after more than a decade

Tetovo has been without a general urban plan since 2013. The last document was drafted in 2003 and remained in force until that year.

According to the Urban Planning Sector of the Municipality of Tetovo, work is currently under way on the Detailed Urban Plan. The city’s territory contains a total of 128 urban blocks, but only 68 of them have active plans, while the remaining 60 do not have detailed plans.

Rilind Selmani of the Urban Planning Sector of the Municipality of Tetovo said that, after the previous plan expired, no initiative had been undertaken to draft a new document. According to him, the process was launched by Mayor Bilall Kasami, who decided to prepare a new general urban plan.

“Tetovo’s general urban plan was in force until 2013, and after it expired no one took the initiative to prepare a new plan. Mayor Bilall Kasami did so by deciding to draft a new general urban plan. This plan includes 128 other detailed plans: 68 are active, while 60 do not have such plans. For the latter, we must also encourage citizens to engage in their preparation so that further development can be enabled,” Selmani said.

The new plan aims to expand Tetovo’s urban boundaries from approximately 1,160 hectares to up to 1,500 hectares. It provides for the designation of areas for new residential construction, sports halls, a public swimming pool and new infrastructure roads.

Selmani said that the procedures had advanced and that the planning program was currently being prepared. At the same time, the Municipality is securing planning conditions from the Planning Agency, which has requested an overview of the urban development projects that have received planning conditions over the years, with the aim of adapting and synchronizing them.

“We launched the initiative to draft the general urban plan in order to expand the existing plan. The current plan covers approximately 1,160 hectares, while the new plan will extend to up to 1,500 hectares. The designated uses will be adapted to the buildings that have already been constructed on the ground. The process is moving at a fast pace, and we are currently at the stage of preparing the planning program. Before that, we are securing planning conditions from the Planning Agency, which has requested an overview of all urban development projects that have received planning conditions over the years so that they can be adapted and synchronized with one another,” Rilind Selmani said.

During 2025, the Municipality of Tetovo issued a total of 212 construction permits for new buildings, additions and extensions to existing structures.