Focusing on the social aspect of sustainability, this article provides insight into the process of spatial and functional reconsideration of open public spaces in two selected super-blocks in Belgrade, Serbia. Although their spatial typology is similar, one of them was created during the 1960s in New Belgrade, a new administrative center of the city based on the principles of functionalism, while the other one was built during the 1970s, as a part of urban reconstruction conducted in the central areas of Belgrade (Vračar municipality). The beginning of the 21st century has brought new challenges to open public spaces, reflecting the post-transitional changes of the Serbian socio-economic context, as well as the contemporary urban needs of inhabitants. Consequently, both blocks have developed new gathering places for their local communities, although applying two different approaches, spontaneous/informal (New Belgrade) and formal (Vračar). Considering the specificities of both initiatives and the relationship between local communities and the open public spaces of super-blocks, the comparative analysis is conducted in order to identify the occurring social, spatial, and functional modifications, and the achieved level of social sustainability.

The growing perception of heritage as a public commodity encourages rural communities to recognize their natural and cultural heritage as a potential for tourism development. This creates the need for an appropriate presentation of heritage sites that ensures that their cultural and natural assets are appreciated and protected. “Negotinske pivnice” are cultural heritage sites in Serbia, nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are architectural complexes of wine cellars in rural region with a long tradition in wine production and industry and are unique in terms of their settlement structure. This emphasizes the spatial dimension of their interpretation and presentation, and highlights the importance of urban design for their sustainable use for tourism. Based on understanding urban design both as a process and a product, and cultural heritage site as a place, we argue that participatory urban design contributes to appropriate heritage presentation by widening design knowledge base to include local communities’ lay knowledge. Following the case study methodology, we explored the relationships between participatory process, the knowledge gained, and urban design solutions for presentation of cultural heritage sites as living places in “Wine Cellars of Negotin Participatory Urban Design” project. The research reveals that the wider knowledge base affects urban design at both strategic and project levels and sets the grounds for diverse presentation forms through which harmonization of heritage protection and touristic presentation is possible.

The revitalization and enhancement of public open spaces contribute to sustainable urban development by transforming neglected areas into vibrant community hubs and welcoming green spaces, thus bringing benefits to both people and nature. Citizens play an increasingly vital role in achieving this goal, especially within multifamily housing areas where vast, underused and neglected public open spaces reflect the systemic problems of how these spaces are planned, designed, and managed. This shift requires supporting citizen participation in the planning and design processes, as well as encouraging local communities to actively engage in the transformation of their residential environments. Literature recognizes that citizens' active participation, meaningful engagement, and the effectiveness of their initiatives depend on a variety of factors, but little is known about how these factors operate in a specific development setting. Understanding this is especially important in the context of post-socialist development in which institutional and organizational barriers to formal public participation exist. This paper explores potential for the engagement of citizens in reclaiming public open space in the context of Serbia as a post-socialist country, whereinherited mass housing estates face the challenges of densification and degradation of common open spaces. By employing a case study methodology and action research approach, the paper presents and critically analyses a best-practice example of citizen engagement in the revitalization and protection of public open spaces in Block 37 in New Belgrade. It explores the context, process, actors, and results of the residents' engagement to identify engagement modalities, thereby highlighting the factors of effectiveness to help improve urban planning and public open space management. The results indicate that both pro-active and re-active modalities of citizen engagement are important, and that trust, good community organization, the role of expert-citizens, and the use of digital technologies were the key factors of success.

The open public space within one neighborhood represents a critical space for socialization. However, local governance participatory mechanisms need to be more sophisticated and developed in the context of a post-socialist society in transition, such as Serbia or other Eastern European countries, to achieve this quality. In such systems, children and youth usually do not participate in decision-making processes regarding the enhancement of these spaces, so their needs are neither included nor considered. The usual practice is that the open public space maintenance or renewal projects are top-down decided, and with limited funds, so often design solutions are replicated, not fitting the contemporary real needs of the end users, without relation to the climate change policies and measures. Therefore, this method focuses on including marginalized groups and promoting the Nature-Based Solutions co-creation on a community level.