EMPTY SPACES OF SERBIA – BELGRADE

Text topic: Studies

Text author: Тамара Јовановић Шљукић

The project “Empty Spaces of Serbia” explores a phenomenon of “empty spaces” or “emptied spaces”, i.e. objects of cultural-historical heritage, as well as other objects that have lost their original purpose: military objects, industrial areas, abandoned suburbs and villages etc. One of the main purposes of the project was to explore the possibilities of transformation of derelicted properties into multifunctional cultural or scientific centres. The first phase of the project was carried out from June to November 2009. It covered the City of Belgrade area with its 17 municipalities. In the first phase of the project more than 150 sites were discovered. The research steps consisted of data collection, systematization and creation of database of explored spaces. Unsolved property problems, lack of strategy on governmental and local level, as well as lack of initiative of potential users (organizations and individuals), turned out to be the main obstacles in recycling and reusing these spaces. The results of the first phase of the project support expanding of the database of deserted urban and rural properties, with emphasis on their great social significance. The database is aimed to be used by artists, cultural  and scientific institutions, as well as to instigate developingof strategies on governmental and local level, in order to transform and activate empty spaces.