Activation of former industrial areas: Creative and civil sector as main actors in overcoming the institutional limitations in serbia

Abstract

The subject of the research is the reuse of former industrial areas through innovative and bottom-up initiatives. These approaches have already been applied in other countries and are gradually emerging in Serbia, while facing several limitations. The first hypothesis is that the institutional framework and the existing policy for activation of these locations in Serbia are inadequate. The second hypothesis is that initiatives of the civil and creative sector can improve the results of the activation of former industrial buildings. The task was to investigate the practice of the activation in Serbia, to examine the limitations of this process and to indicate the possibilities for its improvement. Research methodology is qualitative and it involved interviews with relevant actors. The research focused on two case studies from Serbia: 1. Former brick factory complex-Trudbenik in Belgrade, and 2. Former industrial complex Kineska četvrt in Novi Sad. The research has shown that limitations in the institutional frame- work for the activation of former industrial buildings in Serbia could be overcome through a greater inclusion of non-institutional initiatives. The research resulted with an identification of guidelines aiming to introduce these innovations in urban develop- ment process.