Përparim Rama, Mayor of Pristina | CityMakers Voices No.1

What happens when an architect stops designing buildings — and starts designing cities through politics? Përparim Rama trained in London, ran his own practice for nearly three decades, then returned to Kosovo to run for Mayor of Pristina as an opposition candidate given long odds. He won. Now in his second term, he brings the same thinking he applied to architecture — how do we create a city that empowers people? In this episode, Rama reflects on: → Why designers belong in elected office → Pristina's identity as "an abstract painting" — a capital in emergence → Art-Tek Tulltorja: a 16-hectare regeneration of a derelict brick factory into a hub for art, technology, and civic life — winner of the Holcim Foundation Grand Prize for Europe 2025 CityMakers Voices is a conversation series from the Holcim Foundation, gathering the mayors, architects, planners, developers, and engineers whose decisions shape the cities we live in. This episode was recorded in Venice on the occasion of the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards. 🔗 Learn more: https://www.holcimfoundation.org/news... #UrbanPlanning #Architecture #Pristina #Kosovo #CityMakers #Urbanism #Mayor