The Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK) has proposed turning the Venetian moat and perimeter arc around old Nicosia into a continuous linear park connecting Paphos Gate and Famagusta Gate, as part of a long-term strategy to revive the capital’s centre.
The proposal, set out in an ETEK report submitted to President Nikos Christodoulides in June 2026, envisions the moat not simply as a green space but as a continuous, recognisable public corridor that organises pedestrian, cycling and micro-mobility routes, improves shade and microclimate, and creates activation points at selected locations such as small squares, stops and cultural nodes, without burdening the core with incompatible uses.
The report says the linear park must be delivered in phases, with shared technical specifications, a unified design identity covering materials, lighting, signage and street furniture, and guaranteed maintenance. Without these, the report warns, the result would be the familiar pattern of disconnected interventions that do not add up to a coherent whole.
Alongside the moat, the report proposes a second long-term spatial backbone: a network of express routes linking residential neighbourhoods to major employers, education and cultural poles, public transport hubs and perimeter parking. The routes are conceived as fast, clearly marked connections that cut travel time and uncertainty for people moving into and through the centre, combining infrastructure and operational elements such as safe crossings, signage, lighting and traffic management.
Both backbones sit on a timeline of 18 to 36 months and beyond, requiring multi-year funding, phased studies, licensing and construction. The report says they need a clear coordinating body, a schedule with interim milestones, and a monitoring mechanism from the outset to avoid partial execution or abandonment.
The report’s proposed Delivery Office, which would operate under a presidential mandate and run quarterly reviews with an annual public account, would be responsible for keeping these long-horizon projects on track alongside the shorter-term measures. The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance are identified as the lead agencies for the long-term spatial work, with Nicosia Municipality and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works as co-responsible bodies.
The report frames the two spatial backbones as the long-term foundation on which the rest of the centre’s policies can acquire stability and durability. Without them, it argues, improvements remain fragile and reversible. The phased approach allows work to begin with pilot sections in areas of highest demand, evaluated with flow and access-time indicators, and extended based on evidence.
The proposals stem from a Structured Democratic Dialogue workshop ETEK organised with Nicosia Municipality in July 2025, which produced 103 proposals ranked by influence using interpretive structural modelling.
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