River front development

Belgrade has gone through a transition phase and aims at becoming an open international city, retaining its former status as a focal point in transnational transportation and infrastructure. Cultural life has boosted with many cultural events and institutions, making it a vibrant city and the main center in the whole region. The view of the city is dominated its rivers and the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers near the center of the city. The city has a diverse and interesting waterfront profile which is not fully capitalizing on its huge tourist and real estate potential. Several investments and harbor redevelopments projects are being developed next to the river, leading to debate about the larger concept of the riverfronts in the city. The relation between city, waterfront and former harbor areas demands new perspectives on the waterfront and its relation with the larger metropolitan area.

A second dominant element in every city is the Central Station and its surroundings. The station forms a central hub in the urban infrastructure and an important entrance to the city. In Belgrade however the relation between the urban transportation network, city center and central station is not optimized. The potential of this central place is therefore not realized as we tend to see in comparable cities.

Stadslab European Urban Design Laboratory is preparing an international Master Class series in Belgrade. The Master Classes will focus on urban mobility, urban regeneration and the related urban strategies. Partners in the organization are the Urbban Planning Department of Belgrade, the Serbian Railway and the Belgrade Architecture Week. Urban Planning Department (DRO) of Amsterdam is also involved. In the first Master Class we will study the redevelopment of Amsterdam Central Station as a reference project for the redevelopment of Belgrade Central Station urban area.The concept of the Master Class series are two eight to ten day international design workshops. The first Master Class is planned for autumn of 2011 and the second will be in spring 2012. The focus of the first Master Class is Urban Mobility and Urban Waterfronts. During this Master Class a field trip to Amsterdam will be included. The second Master Class will be more related to Urban regeneration and placemaking in the zone around the Central Station. Both Master Classes will be supervised by internationally renowned planners and architects.