Demolition-Based Urban Regeneration from a Post-Socialist Perspective: Case Study of a Neighborhood in Novi Sad, Serbia

Abstract

Although a growing body of literature examines the post-socialist European context of urban regeneration, studies on the demolition-based approaches are relatively scarce. Moreover, the regeneration policies of cities in non-EU Balkan countries with a distinctive transitional path remain largely unexplored. The paper contributes to filling these voids by investigating a specific demolition-based urban regeneration strategy named permanent reconstruction, which has been launched in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city, and applied to low-density neighborhoods with a derelict housing stock, being seen as a tool for achieving sustainable urban development. The specific research aims are to explain the origin of this strategy; analyze the institutional and planning framework, mechanisms, and dynamics of the regeneration process through a case study; and assess its outcomes based on a mixed methodology. The main research objective is to identify the issues of a post-socialist entrepreneurial urban governance, primarily deriving from Serbia’s distorted transition, which hampered the development of a strategic, integrated, and locale-conscious approach. The findings suggest that Novi Sad and other Serbian cities necessitate socially responsible and context-perceptive regeneration that would produce sustainable regeneration projects. The authors propose the means for redefining them, emphasizing the responsibilities of the public sector and the significance of involving the local community in the planning and decision-making process.

Influence of Revitalization on the Social and Economic Well-Being of Residents: Case Study of Lithuania

“…It should be appreciated that neighborhoods were designed for a maximum of 170 cars per 1000 inhabitants, whereas the current level of motorization is around 500 cars per 1000 inhabitants. This problem can always be found in the literature and in examples of revitalization [82,83]. Residents park their cars wherever possible-on the shoulders of the highway, on pavements, on lawns, etc.…”

Culture-Led Regeneration of Industrial Brownfield Hosting Temporary Uses: A Post-Socialist Context–Case Study from Novi Sad, Serbia

“…The number of complaints made has revealed that the DRP was developed without public involvement, i.e., in a rather non-transparent manner. Second, the rejection of proposals without convincing arguments implied that the plan was adoption-ready, as well as that the local officials did not perceive the public as an equal partner "but rather an obstacle to their agenda" [105] (p. 23). This confirmed what has already evolved into a post-socialist practice-participation in the planning process was only simulated through public presentations, representing a mere formality, while all key decisions have already been made elsewhere.…”