Suchergebnisse

The contemporary transformations, caused by frictions between local and global forces, have to provide comprehensive answers to numerous questions – from urban efficiency, environmental challenges, social (in)equality, to urban history, identity and future sustainability. However, the processes which shape our environment sometimes do not respond to actual needs of users, creating a gap between ambitious visions of professionals and politicians and our everyday life patterns. Considering all recent challenges the paper will analyze the case of New Belgrade and its current urban metamorphosis which has an impact on the character of open public spaces. The focus of the research will be Block 21, which was built during the 1970s and 1980s, after the national architectural competition. Following the guidelines of the Master plan it was conceived as a mono-functional residential block, but its reconstruction, conducted in two phases (during the 1990s and 2000s), instigated some typological changes. New functions were added (for ex. commercial and office spaces), as well as new residential structures, which were quite different from existing ones. Open community spaces were also transposed to another type, different in size, function, pattern of communication and accessibility. Following the thesis that successful public spaces should be responsive to the needs of their users, the paper will present a research which has been done on needs and conflicts in open space. Based on a survey and interviews of end users, along with observation and behavior mapping of activities, this paper should provide answers on how recent changes of Block 21 meet users' needs and to what extent they collide with the original modernist outline.

Public spaces represent essential elements of vibrant, inclusive, and smart cities. Being attractive, safe, comfortable, active and sociable, open public spaces play the main role in revitalizing communities, supporting their sense of identity and culture and triggering their economic development. Considering the current trends and demands in design and use of open public spaces, the role of ICT becomes more important. This paper will present and analyze the connections which are established and intensified between users and open spaces via online social networks. The emphasis will be on Twitter which currently has around 300 million active users. The case study is a network of several open public spaces placed in the historical urban core of Belgrade. The analyzed network presents one of the most attractive and important urban route for pedestrians with the squares as nodes. The method that was used in analysis is the method of mapping users on the social maps (via social networks) and through the other ICT tools. It was based on a new software application – Twitter search engine – developed at the University of Nis, Faculty of Electronic engineering, during the PhD course "Advanced topics in data and knowledge engineering". The aim was measuring the concentrations of users in open public spaces. The obtained results have enabled the determination of the image of the open public spaces perceived by the users, as well as the intensity of users and tweets through the social networks, with the aim to measure the quality of open public spaces and concentration of users. This research has indicated the potential of the analyzed area for the formation of transverse and longitudinal pedestrian flows. On the one hand they could enable active use of a selected segment of the network as one of the most important urban pedestrian route of the city, as well as to improve the image of it. ; Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union. ; peer-reviewed

Considering the high energy bill paid by developed countries when it comes to energy, especially that related with the built environment, it is not surprising that improving energy-efficiency in buildings is high on both the national and international political agenda. Unfortunately improving the energy- efficiency of buildings through applications such as installing double g or roof insulation or renewable energy devices such as solar water heaters or photovoltaic panels comes at a premium. ; peer-reviewed

Placemaking in Practice - Experiences and Approaches from a Pan-European Perspective brings together a vibrant set of experiences linked to placemaking in urban environments. Approaches reflect on the potential of placemaking from different perspectives, disciplines and actors on what placemaking from different angles means in practice.