- Toward a New Reading of Urban Pattern Networks    633 kb by    Bogdanovic, Ruzica & Maksimovic, Milica | urbs@eunet.yu    Short Outline After the regime change in Serbia, planning practice has been standing still. Because there is so much to be done perhaps professionals are forgetting to take one step at a time. A Project done by NGO shows a first step to create a quality living environment. Abstract The loss of the street as a social entity in which life went on has contributed to the demise of the urbanity of the cities, and especially to the loss of their safety. In order to rehabilitate the social function of the streets it is necessary to preserve and upkeep open and free spaces and introduce high-quality street equipment. Following this theoretical approach the paper is presenting redesigning street network in central city zone of Belgrade, based on research from practice a pilot project 'A Better Place for Living – A Sustainable Approach for Urban Design'. The goal of the project is to show how existing infrastructure could be used in an improved manner and that streets not only function as a mechanism for moving vehicles, but also as a social and cultural arena. Goal 1. Create healthy environment, reduce pollutant emission Reaching high standards of livable environment is possible by acting in the framework of traffic control. Aim is to provide the right conditions to encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport and overall to 'focus' people in front of traffic. Goal 2. Create livable public space Promoting various elements of the street scene that could contribute to the identity of the place, including sculpture, lighting, railings, paving, hard landscape, kiosks, cycle racks etc. The emphasis is on promoting character, quality of the public realm, ease of movement and ease of understanding. 'Pilot Project' shows how the reorganization of the city structure, according to the sustainable development principles of urban planning, can contribute for solving the traffic problems in the central city area. Suggested changes to Belgrade’s central city area in terms of traffic management and urban design could include: a) establishing limited traffic areas - 'Tempo 30 zone', b) creating 'Livable streets' and sustainable 'Green Streets', as integral part of 'Tempo 30 zone' primarily for the use of residents, c) encouraging cycling by creating 'Bicycle lanes' and d) expanding and widening 'Pedestrian islands' 'Pilot Project' was addressed for educational purposes to general public in Belgrade. Keywords street network, public space, sustainability Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2005: Making Spaces for the Creative Economy   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper