Many large-scale postwar housing estates are suffering from decay, but are well suited to modern times. It is a matter of understanding the values and empowering community-based organizations, Anica Dragutinovic observes in her doctoral research, which focuses on New Belgrade. ‘This framework is adaptable to other large-scale modernist residential areas.’ says Dragutinovic.
The postwar part of the Serbian capital is considered one of the largest modernist housing areas in Europe. With its spacious layout and a backbone of iconic concrete residential buildings – “the Blocks” – this district is clearly an heirloom of Josip Broz Tito's socialist Yugoslavia. Yet it is still considered a popular place to live, with above-average housing prices. Understandably so, as the numbered apartment buildings contain well-designed homes with relatively good amenities and excellent connections to the historic city centre. All walks of life live there intermingled. ‘It is a lively neighbourhood, with extensive common green areas that young and old use intensively,’ Dragutinovic says. ‘The negative connotations attached to this kind of post-war city district elsewhere in Europe do not apply at all to New Belgrade.’
Privatisation
It does not mean that the district with three hundred thousand inhabitants has no problems. The end of socialist Yugoslavia was the prelude to a massive privatisation of the housing stock in the 1990s. As a result, housing maintenance was no longer a government task, but a job that the tens of thousands of private owners had to solve themselves. And that was not always easy. Especially the common areas of the 72 blocks on either side of Yuri Gagarin Street often turned out to be neglected. While these mostly car-free spaces with their many green spaces, benches, basketball courts and playgrounds define the character of the neighbourhood.
Active residents' organisation
In her research, Dragutinovic focuses primarily on how residents themselves can help turn the tide. She zoomed in on two blocks, which are very different from each other. The brutalist-designed Block 23 was built in 1973-'76 by the Yugoslav army and still has a top-down management structure. Not because the army calls the shots there, but mainly because this relatively old block has a formal heritage protection. As a result, the governmental agencies are more involved in management plans.
The younger Block 70A (1981-86) is popular with families. This complex is located on the bank of the Sava River. It is distinguished by a very active residents' organization. Through a bottom-up approach, the residents of this block manage to organize improvements to the blocks themselves. When large-scale urban development plans from the municipal government are not to their liking, this block is usually one of the first to organize a protest. Thus, residents have successfully resisted densification projects and other plans that threatened the spacious character of the neighbourhood. ‘The cooperation between residents is not only reactive, but in recent years has been proactive,’ Dragutinovic says. ‘The residents' association is also involved in things like greening the common areas or addressing facade maintenance.’
For each location, a thorough analysis is necessary beforehand to determine the specificities of the case study.
Anica Dragutinovic
Guidelines
As part of her research, she developed a layered method of analysis for understanding the values of large-scale modernist residential neighbourhoods and their preservation. This system relates the deterioration of buildings and communal spaces to characteristics of the neighbourhood and the level of participation of residents. Dragutinovic also formulates a set of guidelines for management and reuse.
She developed for the Blocks of New Belgrade different perspectives for integrated urban governance and heritage management. Improvement of social networks plays a key role. This is not only about establishing residents' organisations, but also about involving governmental agencies and other stakeholders, and diversifying the institutional landscape. For example, parties who know about improving communal spaces and green infrastructure. This is not only important for the identity and appearance of the New Belgrade neighbourhood, but also for the well-being of residents. It additionally contributes to climate-proofing the area.
Is the analysis method suitable only in the Serbian capital? ‘Certainly not, this framework is adaptable to other large-scale modernist residential areas,’ Dragutinovic says. ‘But for each location, a thorough analysis is necessary beforehand to determine the specificities of the case study.’
Published: October 2023
More information
On 5 October, Anica Dragutinovic defends her PhD thesis 'Mass Housing Neighbourhoods and Urban Commons: Values-based Governance and Intervention Framework for New Belgrade Blocks'.
Header image: Block 23, New Belgrade, 2020. Photograph taken by Ivona Despotovic for the student workshop “Reuse of Common Spaces of New Belgrade Blocks: Co-designing the Urban Commons”, Belgrade, September 2020.
