Unforeseen impulses of modernism: The case of New Belgrade
Abstract:
New Belgrade is a part of the Serbian capital built in the second half of the 20th century, starting in 1948. It’a a symbolic act meant to be a capital of the new country - the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. As it embodies the ideas and aspirations of a socialist-modernist country that has not prevailed, the way this space was envisioned and the society it was supposed to belong to - no longer exist. The Block 21 presents a perfect case study of a contemporary transformation of a modernist socialist city, as it is the only block build by the original plan.
The change of the social structure and the introduction of the "private property" leads to a new perception of public spaces. The biggest problem of this block is that the common spaces have turned into a huge parking lot, occupying the green area of the park, as well as the roads, leaving a dominant impression of the block. The concept of this Block was to offer the inhabitants, which were supposed to be retired military officers, all they could need in everyday life: supermarkets, a primary school, an elementary school and a high school. No one had foreseen that each occupant of the block would need to commute every day, mostly by car, to fulfill basic needs.
The goal of this intervention is to return public spaces to the occupants, in a way that does not allow these spaces to be compromised.
w/ Anja Draskovic, Natalija Jaglicic & Marija Todorovic
