Narva's new general plan is special. Previous plans assumed that Narva would grow. But in reality, the number of Narva's residents is decreasing. The city loses about 1000 people every year. Currently, only 50,000 people live in Narva, even though the city was built for 80,000 people.
Kaie Enno is the director of architecture at the Narva city government. She says the new plan must help slow the city's decline. "When we understand that the city is shrinking, we can respond better. Then we can change the processes," says Enno.
The keyword of the new plan is flexibility. The plan allows for the construction of residential and commercial buildings in places where it was not possible before. There is less bureaucracy. The plan also helps the military and industrial enterprises to expand.
Enno believes that the biggest winners are Narva entrepreneurs. They can now move forward with their projects. The previous plan did not allow many simple things.
Narva no longer has to grow in all directions. The new plan focuses on the river and the city center. All major public buildings will be built there. A tram connection to Narva-Jõesuu is also planned.
"We leave the possibility for a tram in the future. There will be no tram now, but when new roads are built, we must also think about trams," says Enno.
The Narva city council supported the new general plan. 27 members voted in favor. This shows that different forces in Narva can agree.