The Blok initiative is ours in defense of New Belgrade greenery

Although the development of plans often takes an absurdly long time, only 6 months after the decision on the development of the plan was made, the city published an early public insight into the concept of this plan. However, we note cases that when there is a well-organized and very active group on the ground, with a clear attitude that they are against the planned construction, investors strive to develop the plan as quickly as possible, and in cooperation with the competent institutions, publish public insights during the summer vacations, when minimal resistance is expected . Therefore, we can say that these are some tactics already applied by the city administration and investors in order to neutralize any kind of opposition to the proposed plans. 

While the competent institutions remained deaf and dumb to the letters sent by this group and completely excluded them from the process of creating this plan, at the same time they opened the door for the influx of additional private interests, and the concept of the plan presented a new border of the plan, which now includes two additional green areas in the center of block 63. It is also a clear message that the city administration and the office of the chief urban planner have established channels of communication and cooperation with the private sector that invests in commercial construction, while those same channels are completely closed for the residents of the block. The area of ​​the plan is divided into four blocks, and the concept of the plan in 2 blocks proposes the construction of mixed city centers (residential + business) on the site of the existing green areas, which the residents of block 63 actively use. In the current state, 3 out of 4 blocks are green areas, and the concept of the plan envisages keeping the greenery in only one block. That green area that would remain would represent the only public green area in the entire block 63, which could provide the entire block with only 0,7m2 public green (park) areas per inhabitant. 

This scenario has been prepared in advance by valid urban plans of a higher order. Back in 2016, according to the general regulation plan of Belgrade (PGR), all 2 contested blocks in this plan were intended entirely for commercial purposes, without the possibility of changing the purpose to residential construction. Then, in 2019, the plan for the general regulation of the system of green areas did not include those two blocks in green areas. Finally, in 2022, changes in the PGR enabled the change of purpose from commercial to residential construction, which opened the way for the development of this detailed regulation plan. These changes in the higher-order plans, as well as the proposed conceptual solution in the detailed regulation plan in question, were implemented without the necessary studies and space analysis that would show that the residents of Block 63 do not need additional commercial facilities, nor green areas, but rather additional residential square footage. , which could possibly justify such a planning solution. It is very important to underline that this same scenario also applies to the other Bejani blocks, the only question is when it will be their turn and which block will be next.

Residents of blocks 61, 62, 63 and 64 gathered around the group The block is ours, with the support of our team and other comrades, are actively working on the analysis of the plan and organized participation in the planning procedure during the early public inspection. On Wednesday, August 28, the group The block is ours and the collective Ministry of Space they organized and implemented a workshop of critical reading and analysis of the subject plan and joint writing of comments. About 63 people attended the workshop, which was held on the only planned green area in block 100, and about 500 objections to the plan were written and collected. The members of our team presented the subject plan to the audience and provided support in understanding all its shortcomings. A special focus was placed on what citizens can do to protect their green spaces institutionally and extra-institutionally during the early public inspection, but also in the subsequent stages of the development of this plan. We discussed ways and methods of wider mobilization and motivation of other neighbors and fellow citizens in order to build a stronger local group. Finally, we discussed systemic obstacles and tendencies to exclude citizens from planning and how we can overcome them together.

Based on our many years of experience and cooperation with local self-organized groups in Belgrade, as many as ⅔ of these groups are organized to resist urban plans that propose reducing green areas. In this respect, we can say that the first line of protection of public green areas is precisely the citizens. They are the actors who constantly keep the topic of the importance and protection of greenery in the public discourse as a priority topic in the development of the city and the protection of the public interest. Therefore The block is ours continues with its further actions, currently collecting objections to this plan. The deadline for submitting objections is Monday, September 2. Remarks are handed in at the office of the Secretariat for Urbanism and Construction Affairs or sent to the same address by post. If you do not manage to send your comment, people from this group will do it for you, contact them at nbgblokovi61.62.63.64@gmail.com 

The Ministry of Space supports the efforts of this group and other local self-organized groups in the fight for a greener, healthier and fairer city. If you also need support, we are here!