Janez Koželj was born 18.8.1945 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Having taught the Urban design at the Faculty of architecture in Ljubljana, he has been the protagonist of the contextual approach to town planning. Since 1995 his interest has been shifted to the strategic issues of the contemporary urban design. Focusing his research on the contemporary city, he relates analytical results to his built projects. His urban studies and outlines of architecture were published in several books; he have received many national and international awards for architecture. Since 2006 he is Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana Municipality, responsible for urban and traffic planning, urban design and environment. The main task of his office is to introduce the policies of sustainable development of the city.