Stefan Škorić, Dijana Brkljač, Aleksandra Milinković, Milena Krklješ University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences

Stefan Škorić, Dijana Brkljač, Aleksandra Milinković, Milena Krklješ University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Novi Sad, Serbia Interaction between design of public spaces and pedestrian mobility in city branding effort of Novi Sad (Serbia) Abstract: The distinctiveness of Novi Sad (Serbia) is based on geographic location, numerous cultural and educational institutions, multicultural character, and its position as administrative, economic, and cultural centre of the region. Lack of strategic planning and designing of public spaces, infrequent investments in walking and cycling infrastructure, irresponsible behaviour of people and depraved financial situation have led to a series of transformations that have left serious consequences on public spaces of Novi Sad. A distinctive urban matrix of the city is punctured with network of open public spaces ‒ squares, streets and concealed micro environments, fragmented into many minor 'islands' with evident loss of pedestrians as the main users. Protected old town centre has given away the impression of negligence towards the most precious urban space as a key fragment of the pedestrian zone of Novi Sad, and an important ambient entity of the city with numerous historical and cultural monuments. Public spaces can play a crucial role as non-verbal advertisement of urban marketing and city branding efforts in Novi Sad's competition for the title of the European Youth Capital 2019 and European Capital of Culture 2021. In this competitive game, potential advantages of the public spaces, and their alteration in the line with the needs of city's inhabitants, can become the 'selling point' in creation of the new image of the city. Revitalization of the central pedestrian zone of Novi Sad would offer an articulated and meaningful network of ambiences adapted to the pedestrian communication, and suitable for public contents and events. The research is exploring relationship between the design of public spaces and walking capacities, which can be used for the reconstruction of the existing, or for the planning and design of new public spaces of the city. The aim of the research is to propose possible directions for revitalization of analysed urban components, in order to create a comfortable, liveable and 'pedestrian friendly' network of public spaces within the acceptable walking distances. Key words: public space, pedestrians, walking, city branding, Novi Sad 1. Introduction: The complex transformations of public spaces of Novi Sad at the turn of XX and XXI century The open public spaces of the city were the very basis of urban lifecycle for centuries, and therefore, Gordon Cullen have indicated that 'space created between buildings is seen as something that has its own life beside buildings that create it' (Kalen 2007, p. 5). Nonetheless, recent years have introduced ongoing deconstruction of urban tissue by constant alterations of its structure and identity, and noticeable loss of meaningful places for the public life of a city. Traditional concept of the urban space has disappeared in modern cities, where the public space of the city has become 'canvas on which the political and social changes are painted on' (Kostof 1992, p.124), resulting that alteration of social framework has correspondingly caused functional transformations of open public spaces. Correspondingly, Novi Sad (Serbia) claims a large number of public spaces, as the places of important social and historical moments in the development of the city, most of which have long been neglected, devastated, and highly contested spaces. Novi Sad is situated on the right bank of the River Danube (Figure 1), and it was founded in XVII century when Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin fortress, a Habsburg strategic military post. The city has withstood turbulent changes in state framework from Habsburg Monarchy (1694-1804), Austrian Empire (1804-1867), Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918), Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941), Kingdom of Hungary (1941-1944), SFR Yugoslavia (1944–1992), Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2003), State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006), and finally Serbia (2006- ). During the history, it became an important industrial, economic, administrative, and cultural centre of the region of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and the second largest city in the Republic of Serbia. Figure 1. Geographical position of Serbia and Novi Sad (left and middle), satellite footage of Novi Sad with marked central pedestrian zone (right) Existence of public spaces, both within urban core and in its wider surroundings, has contributed to Novi Sad's position and importance in gravitating urban area. Its characteristic urban matrix is punctured with open public spaces - squares, streets, and concealed micro environments, all standing out as public spaces intended for bustling public life. Historically, the prevailing feature of public spaces in Vojvodina region were the numerous forms of socialization and currency exchange, but over the time due to economic, social and historical changes, they have received another functions and connotations. Complex factors that have influenced alterations of public spaces of Novi Sad during the last decades, as presumably in other cities of south-eastern Europe, can be perceived as: . Economic context (depraved financial resources, low investments in public spaces, etc.); . Political context (transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, lack of adequate architectural or urban planning legal framework, lack of political will for new public projects, decades of civil conflicts, etc.); . Demographic context (rapid demographic changes, population growth, changes in the structure of the population, etc.); . Social context (high level of unemployment, social inequality, exclusion and marginalization, etc.); . Cultural context (new lifestyles, increase in the number of car users, the attitude of people towards the public spaces of the city, etc.). The most significant transformations of the urban matrix of Novi Sad were carried out under the influence of a change in the mind-set in the post-World War II era of the XX century, which had led to radical changes in society and reorganization of the way in which cities in former Yugoslavia are being build and rebuild. This period was characterized with the rapid industrialization of society, the concentration of population in urban areas, growth of the cities, and a strong welfare state, whereas urbanization has served as a key mean of absorbing surplus capital and labour. The city has been treated as an exceptional medium for political messages, and urban planning has been seen as 'an extended arm of the state, a means of social control and manipulation' (Petrović 2009, p. 21). Since the mid-twentieth century, reconstruction of Novi Sad was characterised with the strict implementation of the Master Plan of 1950, until its replacement with a new plan in 1963, which bears all the characteristics of socialist construction, such as building materials, rationality expressed in the facades, strong pedestrian connections between the housing and civic institutions, but also in lack of public spaces in newly built areas of the city. Novi Sad had been radically transformed and adapted to the needs for the new urban organization, necessities of life and lifestyles, resulting in a change in the physical and functional structure of the public spaces of the city. According to the 2011 census of population, households and dwellings in the Republic of Serbia (Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia 2014, p.36), the population of Novi Sad has progressively increased from 69,407 (1948), 76,818 (1953), 103,448 (1961), 144,774 (1971), 178,487 (1981), 189,234 (1991), 210,238 (2002), to 250,439 (2011), within the urban area of 307,760 inhabitants, and the administrative area of the city with 341,625 inhabitants. Unlike certain successful instances of European cities, the infrastructure and public spaces of Novi Sad were not able to cope with such dramatic demographic changes and spatial development in co-option with various political, economic and social transformations (Figure 2). Figure 2. Historical population growth (left) and spatial development of Novi Sad (right) Since the beginning of the XX century, the open public spaces of the city experienced functional modification by introduction of vehicular traffic as its integral part, which had a drastic impact on their character and functional processes. The city of the XIX and earlier XX century was designed more specifically for pedestrians, rather than other means of transport, and therefore it was more permeable for pedestrians. Consequently, public space of the Novi Sad as a centre of urban life, has become contested space of the city which is constantly undergoing various changes (Figure 3). Ever since the gradual introduction of car-free pedestrian zone in 1970s, many of the public spaces have been transformed into the parking lots, traffic roads or bus roundabouts, with significant overlapping between pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Structure of urban matrix as the most important determinant of urban mobility shows significant alterations of the city, which verbalized the development of urban image that the city has today. Expansion of car traffic in the city caused the introduction of new traffic routes, while irregular street network of old city centre was shattered with progressive construction

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