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.
Highlights
Urban “regeneration”, “renewal”, and “revitalization” are buzzwords used by the governments, media, and academics to essentially refer to the same process, created in response to urban land shortage and changing economic, social, and/or environmental demands [1], while taking into account that sustainable urban development requires sustainable land uses [2]
The paper sheds light on a specific, demolition-based urban regeneration strategy wisely named permanent reconstruction, which has been launched in Novi Sad, the second largest Serbian city, to cure a plethora of urban problems that accumulated during socialism, being seen as a step towards sustainable development
The analyses showed the outcomes of this approach—in 1985, 61% of the total housing stock was located in fully equipped apartment buildings, whereas low-density housing occupied 83% of the city’s residential area and lacked some basic amenities [77]—indicating the irrationality of the land allocation model, unevenness in the residential density and population distribution, and inequality in the dwelling conditions and pointing out the unsustainability of the land allocation model
Summary
Urban “regeneration”, “renewal”, and “revitalization” are buzzwords used by the governments, media, and academics to essentially refer to the same process, created in response to urban land shortage and changing economic, social, and/or environmental demands [1], while taking into account that sustainable urban development requires sustainable land uses [2]. The goals of urban regeneration projects being pursued by local governments on the path to achieving a sustainable urban development are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary, revolving around the following: to redevelop or substantially upgrade a dilapidated area; to assign new functions and make the best possible use of urban land; to shrink the city and halt unnecessary urban sprawl; to attract investments, reenergize urban economy, and enhance the city’s competitiveness; and to assist in place branding and/or reshaping of urban image [4,5,6,7] Another objective, often well hidden behind the mentioned ones, is to conceal or dislocate deprivation and poverty [8]. Built upon these premises and advertised as a path to “urban renaissance”, the regeneration of decaying areas has evolved into a conventional solution to various urban problems, being 4.0/).
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