Originally called Okićka Sveta Marija, this is a village that came into being through the planned construction of standardised buildings with the assistance of the Croatian Regional Government of the time, after the village of Popov Dol disappeared in 1911 as a result of a landslide. When the communists came to power, the village of Okićka Sveta Marija was renamed Novo Selo Okićko in 1947. Novo Selo Okićko is one of the most characteristic examples of rural town-planning in Croatia at the beginning of the 20th century.
The present village stands on a hillside plateau that slopes gently from west to east (from 345 to 334 metres above sea level). At the western end of the area there is a crossroads leading to the church of Sveta Marija and to Popov Dol, while at the eastern end stands the school building and a junction of paths towards the wine cellars and the villages of Beter, Donja Purgarija and Tržić. The plots were laid out at a width of 13 metres, with each plot and its building set perpendicular to the road. The gentle curve of the road required the houses to be placed in an alternating arrangement, which gives the village a particularly picturesque appearance. The residential buildings are set 1 metre back from the neighbouring boundary so that rainwater from the roof does not fall on the adjacent plot; they are also set slightly back from the road, allowing a small flower garden to be formed in front of each house, extending to the edge of the plot. Originally the buildings each consisted of a single room facing the road and a kitchen.
Of the houses originally built in 1911, not one has been preserved in its original form and free of all alteration. The most common modification to the 1911 building stock is an extension into the back yard. Conversion of the farm outbuildings, constructed alongside the houses, into living accommodation is also evident. Some buildings have had an entrance vestibule added, others have been extended or widened, and some have been raised by an additional storey.
New construction in the village is not particularly intrusive in appearance, although the floor areas of the houses have increased considerably and multi-storey buildings have been erected. Given that Okićka Sveta Marija — Novo Selo Okićko is perhaps the first planned village in Croatia, and given its exceptionally interesting character, it is essential to develop a plan for life in these houses, which have been partially preserved until now, to halt further demolition, and to enable the renovation of the houses in a way that meets contemporary living requirements. One or two buildings ought to be preserved in their original condition and fitted out to illustrate how the village was created and built, and how life was lived from the village's foundation through to more modern times. New construction should be separated from the existing village as a whole in order to protect the current views and vistas.
