The BalkanStoryMap initiative began through a collaboration between SpaceSyntaKs in Prishtina and KANA/Ko ako ne arhitekt in Podgorica. The initial teams included Donika Çapriqi (SSK), Gresa Neziri (SSK), Milica Vujošević (KANA), Jelena Rabrenović (KANA), Sonja Dragović (KANA), and Ružica Kračković (KANA). Our team later expanded to include esteemed mentors and editors: Prof. Dr. Slavica Stamatović Vučković from Montenegro and Dafina Halili from Prishtina.

This collaborative effort led to this year’s theme, Housing+. The project delves into housing as the largest architectural production, representing over 85% of primary living spaces. It explores how housing influences culture, quality of life, and the identity of cities and neighborhoods. Additionally, it highlights housing as one of the most endangered typologies in terms of preserving architectural heritage from the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly in Kosovo and Montenegro.

Our team expanded further with the addition of 10 research fellows. In just four months (from April to July 2024), these 10 young researchers (5 from Kosovo and 5 from Montenegro) produced 10 compelling stories as part of the BalkanStoryMap fellowship program, based between Prishtina and Podgorica. These stories were crafted through archival research, periodicals, photo documentation, and interviews with authors or their descendants, residents, and other relevant sources.

BalkanStoryMap is part of the "Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans'' program, funded by the European Union. BalkanStoryMap is one of the projects selected for funding by the Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans project under the thematic window Artistic Co-productions.

Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBs) is a project funded by the European Union that aims to foster dialogue in the Western Balkans by enhancing the cultural and creative sectors for increased socio-economic impact.