Placemaking as a paradigm for sustainable urban regeneration.

Abstract

The morphological structure of Niksic is dominated by the traditional elements of urban space: street, square and block. Public open spaces occupy the most attractive positions in the physical structure of the city. However, research shows that the relationship towards these areas as primary holders of identity and principal places of social processes has not been identified as desirable. In this context, placemaking as a paradigm in creating a place for everything, is of primary importance for urban regeneration and sustainable development of the city. Placemaking implies synergistic action in the development and shaping of public spaces in cities and places that are attractive, dynamic, inclusive, sustainable, places that are appropriate to all categories of beneficiaries, which are involved in the creation themselves. The paper explores and defines the parameters for creating a shared vision in the process of regeneration of public spaces of the city as desirable scenarios of urban life and the key links in the continuity of the city image. Planning and design of urban space requires a multi-layered and an integrated approach where all stakeholders participate, as well as all forms of knowledge, all actors of society and with the inspiration and resources drawn from the local context. Placemaking is more than a professional discipline and observations through the universal research prism, each space is unique and inspiring in its own way, and its values are best understood by the users of these spaces. Therefore, their role in this process is primary. Placemaking supports: interaction, polyfunctionality, authenticity, recognizability, appeal, innovativeness,complexity, integrity, flexibility, and it contributes to develop the conditions for intensive interpretation of complex life processes. Placemaking is an imperative for the sustainability of local places in the global context.