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Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
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Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
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Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia
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Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
Inherited multi-family housing estates from the socialist period remain a major residential layer in the former Yugoslav republics, while their public open spaces (POS) often decline under post-socialist governance and market pressures. This paper provides a selective overview of three good-practice pathways for (re)creating POS: participatory upgrading in Savsko naselje (Ljubljana), municipal community gardening through City Gardens (Zagreb), and citizen participation in statutory urban planning procedures in Block 70a (New Belgrade). Based on a qualitative, document-based analysis, the paper identifies transferable mechanisms—co-production, programmatic activation, and reactive citizen engagement within planning processes—that support everyday use and long-term spatial quality.
Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, under the Agreement on Financing the Scientific Research Work of Teaching Staff at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Niš - Registration number: 451-03-137/2025-03/200095 dated 04/02/2025, and the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, #GRANT No 7572, Reclaiming Public Open in Residential Areas: Shifting Planning Paradigms and Design Perspectives for a Resilient Urban Future – RePOS.
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