HISTORIC LESSONS ABOUT METROPOLITAN GENOME - FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ DR NATAŠA ŽIVALJEVIĆ LUXOR NATIONAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION, BELGRADE, SERBIA In rapidly changing world, growth of population causes sublimation of urban areas to cities, metropolitan areas and megacities. “Bigger” means more efficient and stronger. Therefore, concern about size means concern about economy, social progress and vitality. In this paper, we discuss lessons from Roman times about socio-economic development between Naissus and Serdica and their relevance for contemporary urban area between Sofia and Niš. In other words, we discuss metropolitan genome and relevance of historical structures along the axe between Naissus and Serdica which is approximately axe of VIA MILITARIS for well-being of inhabitants of designated area between Sofia and Niš nowadays. National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia The works on Corridor 10 - the highway from Niš to Bulgarian border led to discoveries of many archaeological sites National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Transition gap passing from state run economy to market system In the recent past, the prosperity was badly influenced by state borders, which implied firm borders of political and military alliances. After the end of The Cold War, political circumstances changed, but not for better in all terms. Bulgaria joined EU and NATO, while Serbia faced civil wars and consequently a short war with NATO in 1999. Both Serbia and Bulgaria passed from state run economy to market system, which also means trough a necessary gap in transition and that gap is what is considered in daily life “economic and political turmoil” of recent decades. National Heritage Foundation SOFIA TO NIŠ DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES Belgrade, Serbia In contemporary terms, the route between Sofia and Nish could be considered transit orientated development. Frequency of villages and towns along the route bring up safety issues, but also encourages trade and certain prosperity. The prosperity brought by transit was commonly not considered sufficient for good quality of life of local inhabitants. General trend were not favorable: global relocation of residents from rural to urban areas, and impoverishment due to transition in both countries in 1990s. Contemporary challenges of socioeconomic development are mainly poverty, aging and depopulation. National Heritage Foundation SOFIA TO NIŠ DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES Belgrade, Serbia In average, roughly, 3 sites per 4.5 km, on a strip of about 70 km National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia This route has been in use since Roman times. The networK of Roman roads started being constructed in 2nd c. B.C, and by 2nd c. AD it became the biggest transportation networK that ever existed. The route remained essential during Late Antiquity and Byzantine period, as well as in later periods, until nowadays. It ends in Istanbul, the Imperial city (“Carigrad” or Constantinople) (Fig. 1.). VIA MILITARIS (or VIA DIAGONALIS) was built in 1st c AD. Serdica (nowadays Sofia) was proved to exist much earlier, and in 1st c. it was conquered by Romans. Naissus (nowadays Nish) was mentioned in Roman documents in 3rd c as military campus. National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia Roman road section compared to contemporary Milestones along Roman roads (left) and milestones discovered at Corridor 10 Structure of Roman roads in Antiquity National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA… Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Naisuss and Serdica benefited more than other cities in some periods due to a fact that Constantine was born in Naisuss, and St. Helena, the Emperor`s mother, is said to have close ties with Serdica (she was even said to be born there but Procopius claimed differently). The road, which connected two cities, was intensively used in peace and war times which was another reason for benefit. National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Urban centralities develop usually around historic cores. They include social facilities and further housing development growth. In their vicinity, emerge new developments. Later, at some distance, appear additional infrastructure networks and utilities, large regional facilities, interurban road network, industrial areas, periphery commercial centers etc. If such urban centralities interact among themselves in what-is-called here metro-matrix balanced urban development, a metropolis emerges. Alternatively, lacK of balance in urban centralities leads to their decline and consecutive abandonment. National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia In contemporary terms, the area between Sofia and Nish is an example of transit-orientated development (TOD). National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Development of metropolises matters for a simple reason: in contemporary world, size of urban area matters. The analyses reveal that socioeconomic prosperity is concentrated in huge urban areas i.e. metropolises. There are very few examples where socioeconomic development is spread all over a state, in a balanced way (Germany being one of them). Cities are „hardware + software “, or, in other words, prosperity requires both: Finance (construction and infrastructure) and Knowledge i.e. human resources (skills) and social capital (governance). National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia Cities are hardware+software National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia GDP Tokyo=Australia Paris> Sweden LA> Turkey Hong Kong > Finland Toronto> Israel Among TOP 100 GDPs 48 are metropolises Cairo 63% Istanbul 24% Buenos Aires 80% … Frankfurt (71) “only” 6% National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Megacity, urban agglomeration, metropolis, city, town, village or any other urbanity consists of small(er) elements which one may call “cells” (with implicit comparison to living organism) or “digits” (as part of matrix in “metromatrix”, i.e. in an associated abstract, numerical model (Ortiz, 2017); the essence or the “heart” of such cell, a nucleus, is always a heritage (and usually it is built heritage but not necessarily so)… Depending on local characteristics, “cell” may have different shapes. Once such huge “organism” has been developed, a nucleus may be considered redundant, because it already served its main purpose. However, a “heartless organism” may hardly survive, and even if it does, common sense says it must be in a way which is “not natural” e.g. with some artificial substitute, or even in some inverted or cancerous way. We assume that similar happens to urban areas at all levels without their built heritage. National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia National Heritage Foundation FROM NAISSUS TO SERDICA AND FROM SOFIA TO NIŠ Belgrade, Serbia Metropolis implies growth, and in this case it means growth which brings welfare to local people on both sides of the border. In realization of such scenario, recently discovered archaeological sites along the Corridor 10 have much greater importance than it seems at first. Development of metropolis requires – as rule of thumb – high capital and low risk, however, neither of that exists in area between Sofia and Nish at this time. That is why it is most important to preserve what does exist: valuable heritage sites. National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia Infastructure is missing. Poverty of the area was the cause for not investing more into infastructure. Ammount of money which can be invested into infrastructure do not increase linear. The richer area is, higher percentage of budget can be spent on infrastruture. Eeasily, difference investvent may become 20 times higher for 3 times richer urban area. Where lies potential? National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia Basilica near Bela Palanka Although, experience proves that heritage sites help socio-economic development, the archaeological site in Crnokliste has become sad example of what happened to historical structures along the The Corridor 10 National Heritage Foundation Historical structures and insfrastructure of metropolitan area Belgrade, Serbia One of the lessons from Roman governance is that a road efficiency depends on efficiency of each and every horse-exchange station along it. Nowadays, it practically means that each and every heritage site matters, as constitutive element of urban centrality and further: of metro- matrix. Additionally, this example speaks in favor of heritage management cumulative rule (Luxor effect): heritage sites in designated area