Understanding City Growth _ Documenting Public Spaces in the Bežanija Blocks
The accelerated growth of the city caused by a large population influx as a result of political and social changes in the last thirty years has led to major changes in the urban fabric of Belgrade. Citizens of the capital city often talk about the threatened identity of the city, problems in functioning, inadequate infrastructure, pollution. In contrast, there are unquestionable qualities, 7000 years of uninterrupted urban history, the position at the confluence of two large navigable rivers, the overlap of numerous cultural influences, but also countless demolitions and rebuilding as a consequence of life on the limes, turbulent history and war destruction that repeats itself every 40 -50 years. The urban identity of Belgrade is formed by buildings, objects and interspaces created in all historical periods. Cultivating the spirit of a place means recognizing and marking significant memory and material layers of the city.
What today makes Belgrade recognizable on the urban map of Europe is precisely the material testimony of a long continuity of existence through fragments of preserved traces and with the culmination of the inter-war and post-war period of modernism. We invited LINA fellows, young emerging creatives, to Belgrade to give an insight into the development potential of Belgrade from their perspective through various media. This year, the focus is on New Belgrade, more precisely the Bežanija settlement/village and opposed brutalist mega structure of Bežanije blocks 61, 62 and 63. This border territory in permanent transformation, at the meeting point of the rural environment and the structure of mega blocks, is a great challenge for urban planners and architects. The first part of the Understanding City Growth, as part of the 2024 LINA Architecture Programme, the residency period, was dedicated to the research, meetings and workshops. During their stay, LINA fellows, in addition to the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange experiences, achieved cooperation with representatives of various institutions and organizations, local residents and representatives of different generations. The later period, upon their return, was dedicated to analyzing and defining the proposal. The last one was the joint exhibition “Understanding City Growth” during the BINA 2024 festival, organized in the BINA pavilion. For the occasion of the exhibition all fellows gathered again in Belgrade to present their proposals that would contribute to improving the situation and quality of life in the neighborhood, preserving the identity of the place and transformations in accordance with the requirements of modern life and the needs of the residents.
Having in front of us the results of the work of all six LINA fellows teams, it can be concluded that by applying different methodologies, in a certain sense, they all came to similar conclusions. The first obvious fact is that even after almost half a century since the construction of the new housing blocks, there is a clear division between the old rural matrix of the village of Bežanija and these structures of Blocks 61-64. These very different, but very close residential areas largely function separately and without insight into the history of some and the specifics of others. The second conclusion is that since the creation of urban plans relating to the entire territory and since the construction of blocks, there have been significant changes in political and social system, lifestyle and standards and that it is necessary to rethink the situation on the ground and make certain changes that would contribute to the quality of life of citizens.The identity and order of the old matrix of the Vojvodina settlement Bežanija, as the oldest settlement on the territory of New Belgrade, is threatened, and the memory of the place is also suppressed. However, within the settlement itself there are oases of common life and self-organization of residents who are fighting for the survival of their community. It is precisely these values, in the opinion of LINA fellows, that should be preserved and for the purpose of which the community should be strengthened and support provided by the system, through local authorities and institutions for the protection of monuments, culture and education.
On the other hand, when analyzing the blocks created in the period of the 70s of the last century, and which are still being extended, LINA fellows conclude that despite the former planned construction, the passage of time, changes in lifestyle, but also often insufficient maintenance or inadequate use of space, clearly indicates the need to first of all rethink and adapt public spaces to new conditions, habits, but also to global phenomena such as climate change, which dictate different needs of residents. When studying the assigned territory, LINA fellows also recognize positive models of appropriation and spontaneous use of public space by citizens such as spaces for gathering and socializing, bocce ball court, etc.
All these insights, created during a short residential stay, once again confirm how useful exactly this kind of transdisciplinary analysis, contact with the local community and citizens are, as a preparation for further planning and corrections in order to improve the current situation on the ground. A discussion with local urban planners organized during the opening of the exhibition: Božana Lukić (Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure), Žaklina Gligorijević (Society of Female Architects) and Ana Graovac (New Planning Practice) confirmed this position and indicated the need for precisely this type of analysis and preliminary work that would largely contributed to the quality of urban plans but for which there is often no will due to financial, but also circumstances dictated by the market, investors demands and politics.
Collaboration with LINA fellow Sara Ramezani
Documenting Public Spaces in the Bežanija Blocks
This project is dedicated to using the power of photography as a means to document life within three blocks in New Belgrade (blocks 61,62 and 63), showing the complex relationship between public space and its users. Based on plans and designs from the early 1970s, these blocks were precisely planned, where careful consideration was given to the intermediary spaces between them. By comparing the original plans and designs with how public spaces are being used today, differences become apparent in their functionality and community utilization.
The photographic collection is organized into three categories, each offering different insights. The first category focuses on public spaces intentionally designed for specific activities, such as shopping or social interaction. Through captured images, viewers can understand how people engage with these spaces as intended by their original design.
The second category delves into the spaces initially designated for public use but now serving a different purpose. These areas, often small open spaces between the buildings or corridors connecting the blocks, have been observed to be neglected or underutilized, diverging from their intended role as communal gathering spots. This disparity is depicted through photographs, showing the lack of adaptation of urban spaces meant for communal gathering, or public spaces being used in a completely different manner.
Finally, the third category explores spaces not originally conceived as public areas, yet which have undergone unforeseen transformations over time. These transitional spaces, such as makeshift pathways through the greenery, improvised gathering spots, or even the ever-growing parking area, offer valuable insights into the organic or semi-organic evolution of urban environments and the fact that just as much as space shapes people’s lives and behavior, people also affect and shape the space to adjust it to their needs.
Besides that, photographs provide an overall insight into how the space between the buildings is being used, who are the main users and how it’s been maintained. Also, it provides a slight evaluation of urban design qualities such as livability, sense of belonging, safety, sense of security, human scale, greenery, and so on.
By showcasing the life within these public spaces, the photographic collection provides a window into the dynamic interaction between urban design and the evolving lifestyles of inhabitants, highlighting the flexibility and ingenuity characteristic of urban communities.The Realization of the LINA/BINA Project “Understanding City Growth” was supported by the citizens' association "Stara Bežanija", Elementary school "Jovan Sterija Popović", Language school "Junior", Cultural Center of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Belgrade, PUC Greenery Belgrade, Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia
