Milena Ivkovic
-
Netherlands
- Serbian, English, Dutch, Croatian, Bosnian
Validated Expert info
Expert can perform Ad hoc expertise missions at network and programme level in relation to:
1. The design and delivery of (transnational) exchange and learning activities
2. Thematic expertise:
[Strategic Urban Planning, Urban Design]
3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
> Integrated and participatory design of strategies
> Sustaining stakeholder engagement and translating strategies into actions
Summary
I am an architect, urban planner, and expert in civic participation, with a specialization in urban design and urban communication. I studied at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, and hold an MSc Ir in Architecture and Urban Planning title in the Netherlands. With over 15 years of design experience in urban regeneration and public space renewal across Europe, Asia, and Africa, I have worked at major Dutch and European planning consultancies, and collaborated with international organisations such as UN-Habitat, UITP, and ISOCARP. From 2017 to 2020, I've led ISOCARP’s Urban Planning Advisory Teams and served as a Board Member.
I am the creative director of BLOK74 , a Rotterdam-based design studio developing digital storytelling and gamified simulations for urban communication and participatory planning. I am also the co-founder and CEO of Placemaking Western Balkans, a non-profit think tank dedicated to creating better public spaces in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. Through both organizations, I have led independently funded and EU-funded projects, including Horizon, Interreg, Erasmus+, and URBACT IV.
In the past five years, I have developed specialised expertise in capacity building in the topics such as youth participation, green placemaking and urban re-wilding, gender-sensitive public space design, sustainable mobility, and scenario-based urban action planning. A special focus of my work is the development of innovative communication tools and co-creation methods to capture and retain stakeholders and capture their imagination throughout the planning process. I collaborate closely with public administrations, NGOs, cultural institutions, and universities across Europe as well as major European networks such as Placemaking Europe.
In 2023 and 2024 I have been the Jury Member of the prestigious ICapital Award of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) for most innovative cities in Europe.
I am regularly invited to speak on public space renewal and civic participation at major international conferences, including Urban Future (2024, 2025), Walk21 (2025), and the World Urban Forum (2018, 2022). I have contributed to global policy development by reviewing two key UN-Habitat publications: Citywide Public Space Strategies (2019) and the Global Toolkit for Public Space (2015). Through ongoing research and publications, I continue to support public space renewal efforts worldwide.