Another location in Centar - the parking lot next to „Ramstor Mall" on „Sveti Kiril i Metodij" street - is being shut down. The reason: a new mixed-use building with five floors, a ground floor and an attic will be built in its place, with three underground levels for parking.

Ramstor Macedonia claims access to the mall will not be blocked and that all shops, the supermarket and services will operate as before. „Access will be fully maintained," the company says. It's a standard statement every investor makes when building in crowded city centres. The reality, if you've lived in Skopje for the last five years, is different.

The question behind the whole story isn't technical, it's political. Centar Municipality continues a practice going back decades - every available open surface gets built up. Parking lot? They build a tower. Green space? They build a tower. Courtyard by an old building? They build a new tower in the courtyard.

The detailed urban plan (DUP) for the district (Old Railway Station) technically allows for an „extension" of the existing mall - and that's what's being leveraged. But „extension" in this case means a new mixed-use building with several thousand square metres. That's not an extension. That's new construction in disguise.

What's gained? Three underground levels of parking. Sounds logical - the current open lot is replaced by an underground one, plus new apartments and offices. But the open lot was free or cheap. The underground one will be commercial - 50, 80, maybe 100 denars an hour. That's not a „swap". That's a transfer of a public utility to a private business, with a hidden cost for the users.

What's lost? Another open zone in Centar. Another building that will block the view. Another congested street. And another step towards Skopje becoming a city without open space - without anywhere for kids to play, without the option of an outdoor coffee that isn't sandwiched between four walls.

Is something useful gained? Maybe. Office space is needed. Housing units too. But the question that should be on the table openly is whether Centar should be „space for investment" or „space for people". The current trend is the former. And it's no accident.