The Ecological Uprising called for the revocation of the outgoing Serbian Government's decision to expand the Belgrade Waterfront (BW) residential-commercial complex.
It also called on professional associations of architects and urban planners to publicly express their position on this decision and its consequences for Belgrade.
“By adopting amendments to the spatial plan, the Government has separated 327 hectares of the most valuable urban land from the city planning system of Belgrade, thereby approving the expansion of the Belgrade Waterfront, which now occupies 400 hectares instead of 100 hectares,” said the Ecological Uprising in a press release.
It assessed that a historic precedent was made because “the General Urban Plan, whose purpose is to define and ensure Belgrade’s fair and democratic urban development, has been suspended.”
“The planning framework is of utmost importance as it protects the public interest of citizens and our right to freely use the city’s vital spatial resources. This is precisely why spatial and urban planning is clearly defined by the Serbian Constitution and laws,” emphasized this parliamentary party.
Belgrade is already exposed to excessive heating, which is hazardous for public health, said the Ecological Uprising, stressing that “construction focused on residential and commercial spaces, which neglects public facilities and open spaces, disrupts the quality of urban life and increases traffic congestion.”
It added that the “current construction, which is eating away at the city’s greenery and offering planters instead of tree-lined streets and, at best, ‘green walls,’ and instead of kindergartens offers shopping malls, is shameful for a city that was once planned with dignity.”
