Expansion by preservation. Potential and significance of untouched nature inside urban tissue. Research nursery park in Belgrad, Serbia

When we talk about development and future of cities, we think about “movement” and expansion of built structures along axes ad beyond borders. De facto, this is the most obvious future of cities, especially metropolitan ones as Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Questioning traditional development models of expansion and occupation raises questions on how urban voids can be designed. The word “void” can correlate at the same time with other terms that have similar significance for the process of cities development and that can respond to flexible, contemporary, changeable, open, untouched, progressive structures. In Belgrade’s case its urban heart known as Great War Island, remains at the confluence of two rivers - Sava and Danube, containing a significant part of its “ green nerve system ”. Observing where flexibility, change, openness happens in cities we often get to observe “nature“, as a byproduct of human inactivity. How can “nature” be a part of the complex puzzle of architectural achievements and social changes? The role of the island as preserved nature is crucial for the ecosystem of Belgrade but at the same time it’s the most sought - after area for speculative expansion of the city. Considering the island in its current status as part of the city the topic of urban natural parks and the importance of empty/free space becomes highly meaningful. As Great War Island is threatened by city’s expansion, the only possible solution is to redirect the speculative invasion inside open pores of urban tissue, densifying parts of Belgrade that can’t have a large - scale impact on the city. The scope of the project is to reverse the picture of the city as a built system with segments of greenery to the idea of an ecosystem with built fragments