The Belgrade euPOLIS experts’ team recently held an outdoor workshop with the neighbors and passers-by of one of the local demo sites, the Danube Quay. The participants were presented with the draft design of the demo park and an eco-edu center, created by the winning teams of the architecture students competition, earlier this year.
Thirty-four citizens filled out the survey, while many more shared their impressions, desires, and challenges regarding this area.
Neighbors of Belgrade’s Municipality of Zemun where the euPOLIS demo location is, are known as proud and protective of their neighborhood. This commitment and loyalty turned out to be of great help in collecting their insights to be implemented in the final urban-architectural design of the blue-green demo park.
They were curious to know whether the euPOLIS park would change some aspects of the park they love, or what would happen to the famous monument, but also in what ways they can contribute so that the change they want to see, could be visible as soon as possible. They gave us precious suggestions and views on challenges:
- Plant the greenery to maintain development; plants from the park quickly rot because of no irrigation, they are ruined by dogs or people, it requires better maintenance;
- During the last five years, during the reconstruction of all Belgrade parks, the surface of concrete and asphalt became more extensive than before the reconstruction – this should no longer be the practice;
- To include an exercise park;
- Is growing plants without using drinking water a utopia?
- Involving volunteers is a worldwide trend for improving the environment and culture
- Provide parking for bicycles;
- The potential building should not be commercialized and should be fully opened to the public, avoid concrete and use natural materials, and present the future urban project to the general public;
- I believe that buildings should be modular and easy to dismantle;
- As little concrete and footpaths as possible, let us walk freely on the grass; preserve the view of the river and the natural appearance of the park; space without content leaves the possibility for children to play freely, run, and open up vistas in the confined space that is everywhere around;
- I am concerned about the size of the eco-edu center and its proximity to the walking lane;
- Inclusion of animal species in the park, confusion for sparrows, ponds, and beehives;
- Content adapted to the youngest and teenagers; enough garbage cans; quality lighting to feel safe during a night walk; pay attention to people with disabilities and adapt to people in wheelchairs;
- I am in favor of a more natural solution, the building that needs to integrate into the natural greenery; if possible, species that grow quickly and have a lush green canopy; place educational signs and warnings about preserving nature and not damaging it;
- Space for exhibitions;
- Dog park;
- We need to hold more workshops like this
- Some kind of info desk, i.e. a person who would present to passers-by, i.e. visitors, the content of something like what is happening in this workshop/education as a permanent setting;
- Remove the rafts and install new benches along the shore