Informality and cultural landscape in Belgrade Riverside

Abstract

By considering regulations defined by laws, plans and decisions on different levels related to urban development of Belgrade riverside, specific conditions of privatization of land, changes in legislation and insufficiently defined planning procedures have been recognized, which reflect the informal practice of land use development. The example of such coastal areas can be found along the Sava and Danube riverside, including the illegal appropriation of the aquatory, which are regarded in this research as a specific practice of creating a unique cultural landscape. This practice reflects a spontaneous urban development of the riverside through the formal and informal establishment of temporary and permanent housing, numerous commercial and recreational activities in different scale along the 200km of Belgrade riverbank. The shaping of the cultural landscape of Belgrade riverside will be analyzed through the comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to the ongoing riverside urbanization, which manifest the complex linkage between formal institutions, and members of the local community. The importance of closer examination of cultural, economic, environmental and spatial aspects of this process is in the recognition of indigenous building regulations and relations to the natural resources. The main goal of the research is to understand different levels on which this informal practice persists and to outline the possibilities for the improvement of the current planning of Belgrade riverbank through their institutionalisation.