Waterfront regeneration in post-socialist Belgrade: benefits and risks

Abstract

Cities all over the world are (re)discovering their waterfronts as places for public enjoyment, and as opportunities for new economic development. Although waterfront regeneration has been well studied in developed countries, only recently have researchers begun to explore it in post-socialist context. We contribute to this line of the research by examining the process of waterfront regeneration in Belgrade, Serbia. The paper presents three phases in redevelopment of Belgrade’s central waterfront, and analyses their benefits, risks and links. These phases were realized through different approaches to urban regeneration: a) as grassroots events by Public art & Public space programme, b) as bottom-up formation of Savamala creative district, and c) through top-down megaproject “Belgrade Waterfront”.