Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1529355
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 15 NOVEMBER 2024 OPINION GOZO'S urban fabric stands out within the Maltese context. However, this distinctiveness is facing growing pressure from recent development trends. A notable increase in apartment dwellings combined with a gen- eral lack of focus on quality and coherence is impacting Gozo's distinct semi-urban environment and threatens to alter its charac- ter. Nevertheless, there is still a lot in Gozo to be saved. For ex- ample, terraced houses in Gozo represents around 40% of the to- tal building stock, while 75% of dwelling stock in the main island of Malta consists of apartments and maisonettes. The development zones in Gozo are confined to around 13% of the island's total land area, howev- er, the density of building within such zones has increased over the last years. As of 2021, the num- ber of properties in Gozo stood at around thirty thousand, an increase of 18.6% over a decade earlier. Out of these, over 11 thou- sand are terraced houses. Of particular interest is the rel- atively large ratio of Urban Con- servation Area (UCA). These are areas demarcated as special zones that require protection and pres- ervation and policies adopted in UCAs managed to preserve these areas. UCA constitute approxi- mately 32% of the land within the development zone in Gozo. In some localities such as Żebbuġ, Għasri and San Lawrenz, such areas constitute more than half of the development zone. There are localities in Gozo, which despite having a lower ratio of UCA area, still possess a high share of terraced houses. Most of these areas form part of the Home Ownership Schemes (HOS). More than half (around 60%) of the terraced houses used as main residential dwellings in 2021, were constructed in the period from 1961 to 2000. This corre- spond with the Home Ownership Scheme which lasted from the late 1970s till the 1990s. These zones are overwhelming characterised by rows of terraced houses, with their height in good proportion when compared to street width. These ratios and pro- portions give rise to streetscapes and skylines that fully respects the concept of an 'Island of Villages'. Considering the specific site context and the distinctive char- acter of these areas of terraced houses that form part of the Gov- ernment Housing Estates, these areas merit attention, like those in the Urban Conservation Areas. Efforts should be taken to make them a distinguish area typology as advocated in DC15. Preserving these areas benefit the general community and add long term value to Gozo. Besides, the indirect and longer-term ben- efits of keeping Gozo as an island of villages, there is a more direct benefit to owners. Various stud- ies conducted in different cities support the case that an emphasis on architectural homogeneity and coherence — characteristics of such terraced houses — contrib- utes to an increase in the value. The designation of these zones as distinctive residential areas to maintain their current height and streetscape will represents a tan- gible action towards the common good and a positive step in line with Gozo Regional Development Strategy. The GRDA has published a docu- ment on this issue: https://grda.mt/wp-content/up- loads/2024/11/Note-on-Govern- ment-Housing-Estates.pdf Mario Borg is CEO of the Gozo Regional Development Authority Mario Borg Changes to preserve Gozo's built environment