The first part of this research explores the city of Belgrade and its urban developments from the aftermath of World War I and the creation of Yugoslavia to the present day. Its purpose is to establish the context for the research and introduce the general climate of urban planning across three historical periods: the inter-war monarchy, the post-war socialist state, and the contemporary capitalist era. As Belgrade remained under Ottoman Empire occupation until the first half of the 19th century, it began to acquire the characteristics of a major European city relatively late compared to other European capitals. Its development was dictated and, therefore, hindered by various factors, including changes in political regimes and limited financial resources. In 1923, a General Urban Plan for the City of Belgrade was created, following a large international competition, with the goal of transforming the city into a proper European metropolis after the devastating Great War, marking an important milestone in Belgrade's urban planning history. The brief inter-war period of peace was interrupted by the devastation of World War II. The subsequent abrupt transition to a socialist regime brought a new philosophy to urban planning policies, reflecting the state's desires and ideologies, and shifted focus to the swamplands on the other side of the Sava River. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s, a transition to a capitalist system and market economy began. However, this period saw a surge in illegal and unplanned construction, culminating in the currently prevalent 'investor urbanism.' These urban planning inconsistencies highlight how the city has frequently been influenced by prevailing political regimes. This raises questions about whether the best architects and planners always had a voice, and whether the genuine needs of citizens were consistently addressed. The second part of this research takes the form of a short analytical study of typologies and tendencies in investor urbanism following the transition to a market economy. It also aims to identify the main problems arising directly from Belgrade's urban development over the past 100 years. This information is crucial for identifying the main functions of the scales of interventions and strategical proposals to be developed for Third Belgrade. The primary focus is on the transition to a market economy around the turn of the century and how the existing urban fabric and voids became spaces of conflict and potential for private investors to dictate the city's further development. The deterioration of urban planning, power of private capital, and the rise of investor urbanism will be addressed as threats to Belgrade's urban development. The final part of this thesis consists of the set of urban planning strategies for the proposed area on the northern side of Belgrade, on the left bank of the Danube River, which developed over the years with minimal planning and currently lacks basic infrastructure and sufficient public functions. This project will explore whether 'Third Belgrade' can acquire the characteristics of a proper urban environment with limited changes to the existing urban structure and minimal displacement of residents. The project will demonstrate how proper development in this specific area of Belgrade can mitigate past mistakes and improve residents' overall quality of life. The topic concerns the sprawled areas north of Belgrade, on the left bank of the Danube River, colloquially known as 'Third Belgrade,' and will be referred to as such throughout the research. The final outcome will consist of a general urban plan, as well as strategies and interventions, providing a model for the future development of the project area, considering its built environment, linear infrastructure, functions, and landscape.
La prima parte di questa ricerca esplora lo sviluppo urbano di Belgrado a partire dal periodo successivo alla Prima Guerra Mondiale e alla creazione della Jugoslavia, fino ai giorni nostri. L'obiettivo è di fornire un quadro introduttivo e di delineare il contesto generale della pianificazione urbana attraverso tre periodi storici: la monarchia interbellica, lo stato socialista del dopoguerra e il capitalismo contemporaneo. Essendo stata sotto il dominio ottomano fino alla prima metà del XIX secolo, Belgrado iniziò ad acquisire le caratteristiche di una grande città europea in ritardo rispetto ad altre capitali, e il suo sviluppo fu influenzato, e talvolta ostacolato, da fattori quali i cambiamenti di regime politico e le limitate risorse finanziarie. Nel 1923, fu redatto un Piano Urbanistico Generale per la città di Belgrado, preceduto da un concorso internazionale, con l'intento di trasformare la città in una metropoli europea dopo le devastazioni della Grande Guerra. Questo piano segnò una pietra miliare nella storia urbanistica di Belgrado, essendo stato il primo introdotto dopo l'indipendenza della Serbia. Il breve periodo di pace fu interrotto dalla Seconda Guerra Mondiale, che portò ulteriori distruzioni. Il successivo passaggio a un regime socialista introdusse una nuova filosofia nella pianificazione urbana, riflettendo le priorità e l'ideologia dello stato, e spostò l'attenzione sulle aree paludose al di là del fiume Sava. Successivamente, gli anni '90 e la caduta del Muro di Berlino segnarono il passaggio a un'economia di mercato capitalista. Tuttavia, questo periodo vide un aumento dell'edilizia illegale e non pianificata, culminando nell'attuale predominio dell'urbanistica guidata dagli investitori. Le incongruenze nella pianificazione urbana evidenziano come la città sia stata spesso influenzata dai regimi politici dominanti, ma resta da chiedersi se i migliori architetti e urbanisti abbiano sempre avuto voce in capitolo e se le reali esigenze dei cittadini siano state soddisfatte. La seconda parte della ricerca consiste in un'analisi delle tipologie e delle tendenze dell'urbanistica degli investitori dopo il passaggio all'economia di mercato, nonché nell'identificazione dei principali problemi derivanti dallo sviluppo urbano di Belgrado negli ultimi cento anni. Queste informazioni saranno fondamentali per definire le scale di intervento e le proposte progettuali. L'attenzione principale sarà rivolta al passaggio all'economia di mercato e a come il tessuto urbano esistente e i vuoti urbani abbiano offerto spazi di conflitto e opportunità per gli investitori privati di influenzare lo sviluppo della città. Il degrado della pianificazione urbana, il ruolo del capitale privato e l'ascesa dell'urbanistica degli investitori saranno trattati come problemi che minacciano il futuro di Belgrado. La parte finale della tesi sarà dedicata al progetto vero e proprio. L'area di intervento proposta è la zona settentrionale di Belgrado, sulla riva sinistra del Danubio, sviluppatasi negli anni in modo frammentario e priva di infrastrutture di base e servizi pubblici. Il progetto si propone di verificare se la cosiddetta "Terza Belgrado" possa acquisire le caratteristiche di un ambiente urbano adeguato, attraverso interventi mirati e con un minimo impatto sui residenti. L'obiettivo è di dimostrare come uno sviluppo ben pianificato possa correggere gli errori del passato e migliorare la qualità della vita dei residenti. L'argomento della ricerca si concentra sulle aree settentrionali di Belgrado, sulla riva sinistra del Danubio, note come "Terza Belgrado", termine che sarà utilizzato nel corso della ricerca. Il risultato finale consisterà in un piano urbanistico generale, affiancato da strategie e interventi che forniranno un modello per lo sviluppo futuro dell'area, tenendo conto del contesto edificato, delle infrastrutture, dei servizi e del paesaggio.
Third Belgrade-the story of a city yet to be
Ilic, Andrija
2024/2025
Abstract
The first part of this research explores the city of Belgrade and its urban developments from the aftermath of World War I and the creation of Yugoslavia to the present day. Its purpose is to establish the context for the research and introduce the general climate of urban planning across three historical periods: the inter-war monarchy, the post-war socialist state, and the contemporary capitalist era. As Belgrade remained under Ottoman Empire occupation until the first half of the 19th century, it began to acquire the characteristics of a major European city relatively late compared to other European capitals. Its development was dictated and, therefore, hindered by various factors, including changes in political regimes and limited financial resources. In 1923, a General Urban Plan for the City of Belgrade was created, following a large international competition, with the goal of transforming the city into a proper European metropolis after the devastating Great War, marking an important milestone in Belgrade's urban planning history. The brief inter-war period of peace was interrupted by the devastation of World War II. The subsequent abrupt transition to a socialist regime brought a new philosophy to urban planning policies, reflecting the state's desires and ideologies, and shifted focus to the swamplands on the other side of the Sava River. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s, a transition to a capitalist system and market economy began. However, this period saw a surge in illegal and unplanned construction, culminating in the currently prevalent 'investor urbanism.' These urban planning inconsistencies highlight how the city has frequently been influenced by prevailing political regimes. This raises questions about whether the best architects and planners always had a voice, and whether the genuine needs of citizens were consistently addressed. The second part of this research takes the form of a short analytical study of typologies and tendencies in investor urbanism following the transition to a market economy. It also aims to identify the main problems arising directly from Belgrade's urban development over the past 100 years. This information is crucial for identifying the main functions of the scales of interventions and strategical proposals to be developed for Third Belgrade. The primary focus is on the transition to a market economy around the turn of the century and how the existing urban fabric and voids became spaces of conflict and potential for private investors to dictate the city's further development. The deterioration of urban planning, power of private capital, and the rise of investor urbanism will be addressed as threats to Belgrade's urban development. The final part of this thesis consists of the set of urban planning strategies for the proposed area on the northern side of Belgrade, on the left bank of the Danube River, which developed over the years with minimal planning and currently lacks basic infrastructure and sufficient public functions. This project will explore whether 'Third Belgrade' can acquire the characteristics of a proper urban environment with limited changes to the existing urban structure and minimal displacement of residents. The project will demonstrate how proper development in this specific area of Belgrade can mitigate past mistakes and improve residents' overall quality of life. The topic concerns the sprawled areas north of Belgrade, on the left bank of the Danube River, colloquially known as 'Third Belgrade,' and will be referred to as such throughout the research. The final outcome will consist of a general urban plan, as well as strategies and interventions, providing a model for the future development of the project area, considering its built environment, linear infrastructure, functions, and landscape.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/235989