PHOTOS: Zagreb pushes ahead with 300 affordable flats as Podbrežje housing project advances

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

ZAGREB, 10 March 2026 – Construction is progressing on a major affordable housing project in the Podbrežje neighbourhood of Zagreb, which will provide around 300 flats for social and affordable rental once completed.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević visited the construction site of the A11 residential-commercial building together with deputy mayors Danijela Dolenec and Luka Korlaet.

The project forms part of the city’s broader programme to expand Zagreb’s supply of social and affordable housing.

Across several locations in the city, more than 1,000 new housing units are either under construction or in planning.

“Work is progressing according to plan and we expect completion in the first half of 2027,” Mayor Tomašević said during the visit.

“Once finished, around 300 flats for affordable and social rental will be allocated to approximately 1,000 of our fellow citizens who need housing the most.”

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

He added that Zagreb, like many cities across Croatia and Europe, is facing a serious housing challenge. The issue has also been recognised at European Union level, with the appointment of the EU’s first commissioner for housing.

A €42 million investment

Deputy mayor Luka Korlaet explained that the Podbrežje building has been designed with a pragmatic and rational architectural approach in order to enable faster construction and a larger number of flats.

The building will consist of a basement, ground floor and eight residential floors. In addition to the apartments, it will include three commercial units on the ground floor and an underground garage with 328 parking spaces.

The project was designed by the SZA architectural studio and represents an investment worth €42 million excluding VAT. The development is being fully financed from the City of Zagreb’s budget.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

Wider neighbourhood development planned

Further residential development is also planned in the Podbrežje area. Another building, A2, is expected to include around 150 additional flats.

The space between the buildings will feature green areas and children’s playgrounds, creating a more liveable residential environment.

Supporting infrastructure is also being developed. A new kindergarten for 200 children across ten educational groups is nearing completion nearby, while plans include the construction of a primary school and another kindergarten.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

More housing projects across Zagreb

Podbrežje is only one part of Zagreb’s wider housing expansion.

Urban planning is currently underway in Sveta Klara for around 100 affordable rental flats, while approximately 600 new apartments are planned in the Borovje neighbourhood.

Mayor Tomašević stressed that housing projects are being developed together with the necessary community infrastructure.

“It is important that in neighbourhoods where we develop affordable housing we do not build only residential buildings, but also all the necessary communal, transport and social infrastructure – kindergartens, schools, parks and other facilities,” he said.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

All projects, he added, are being planned in line with energy efficiency principles and modern construction standards, aiming to move closer to climate neutrality.

City officials also highlighted the need for policy measures alongside new construction.

Deputy mayor Korlaet noted that Zagreb has adopted three important decisions related to housing affordability and is actively participating in working groups of the Ministry and at the European level through the Mayors for Housing initiative, a network of 17 European cities.

Mayor Tomašević concluded that addressing the housing shortage will also require bringing unused properties back onto the market.

According to official data from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Construction, Zagreb has around 55,000 empty flats. Data from electricity provider HEP and water consumption suggest the number could exceed 80,000.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

“We will not be able to solve the housing crisis in Zagreb and the rest of Croatia unless we simultaneously activate these empty flats that are currently not being used,” the mayor said.