In Western Europe, the dimension of maintenance is deeply internalized in the mindset, in public and private institutions, as well as in civic education. Here, this dimension is missing. For this reason, it is essential that the culture of maintenance be introduced into the primary education curriculum as a separate subject, because new problems require new solutions, and education is the foundation of any long-term change.
Written by: Lorik Idrizi
In the context of local elections in North Macedonia, it is clearly observed that many of the infrastructural challenges are not only related to the construction of new facilities, but to an essential and emancipatory dimension that is almost entirely absent in the region: the culture of maintenance. This phenomenon is present throughout the Balkans, where planning and construction often take place, but long-term mechanisms for the preservation and functionality of such projects are rarely considered.
An illustrative example of this is a peripheral town in Kosovo, where a bicycle lane inaugurated only a few months earlier was already overgrown with weeds and unusable during my most recent visit. This situation is not an exception, but a symptom of a broader cultural and institutional model, where the new object is seen as an end in itself, while maintenance is considered an unimportant element.
In Western Europe, the dimension of maintenance is deeply internalized in the mindset, in public and private institutions, as well as in civic education. Here, this dimension is missing. For this reason, it is essential that the culture of maintenance be introduced into the primary education curriculum as a separate subject, because new problems require new solutions, and education is the foundation of any long-term change.
This issue is not only social, but also institutional. Although the term “sustainable development” has already become a cliché, in practice, infrastructural projects should not only include construction costs but also proper planning for maintenance costs over the next two decades. Only if such costs are foreseen for these periods can we hope that, over the years, a culture of maintenance will gradually be cultivated.
This dimension also has a direct reflection on cultural heritage. The tradition of caring for historical monuments, restoration, and cultivating cultural values has created in some societies a consolidated mentality of preservation. This mentality is still underdeveloped in our countries, but it is essential to build it, because maintenance is just as important as creation.