V. Sretović: Revitalization of Small Urban Streams as a Potential for Sustainable Urban Development
Revitalization of Small Urban Streams as a Potential for Sustainable Urban Development
Serbia is faced with a number of challenges in order to secure the sustainable development of its cities and environs. High placed on its agenda are the issues related to regulations of water flows and their integration in the urban areas. From the point of view of urban development, small urban streams in the cities, neglected and demoted through the history, aregetting more in focus of professional attention.
Belgrade was rich with small urban streams, but their value was not recognized; they were piped under the ground anddrained from cities as fast as possible. Today there are only afew surface streams left in Belgrade. These are very polluted and not regulated at all, and as such, they influence the environment and local communities in a negative way.
Today, urban planners and designers are starting to talk aboutthe importance of these streams as a resource for the creation of ambient qualities and new public green-spaces. Recent development programmes and strategies clearly illustrate the ongoing change. New decentralized open small-scale systems for the stormwater collection, use and treatment (known as theBest Management Practise) which are recognized as a possible response to the problems of pollution and flooding,can also be used to improve quality of the site, and contribute to the social, environmental and aesthetic amenities.
This paper will present the project of the stormwater system of the Kumodraz stream basin in Belgrade, as the pioneeringproject that uses the alternative approach to regulate one of the small urban streams and its outcomes, by looking at both the benefits and the shortcomings of the project. In particular, it explores the opportunities for revitalization of the smallurban streams as a way in making local communities, towns and places more water sensitive. The case of Kumodraz mayserve as an example of good practise to be explored and possibly employed by other similar places in Serbia.
Key words: small urban streams, urban planning, Serbia