Examples of conservation and urbanistic solutions in Zagreb since the year 2000: the impact of non-profit media and civic initiatives on the creation of the image of the city

Cik, Mihaela. (2018). Examples of conservation and urbanistic solutions in Zagreb since the year 2000: the impact of non-profit media and civic initiatives on the creation of the image of the city. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Art History. [mentor Špikić, Marko].

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Abstract

Involvement of the general public in the protection of cultural heritage can be researched in parallel with the development of the conservation movement from the 19th century until today. This period shows a growing trend in the number of individuals and organizations that influenced not only conservational but also urbanistic solutions. This right and duty is proclaimed in international documents and codified in national legislations, including the Croatian, which should ensure the protection of public interests. This thesis focuses on the period after 2000 when citizens are increasingly actively involved, and the capital Zagreb, has been selected as an example for research. A significant part of the problems that the public warns of relates to the process of transition through which Croatia has gone in the recent past. These problems are known to the authorities and the solutions are proposed in strategic documents aimed at the development of the country or its cities. One of the goals is to reconcile various interests in public space expressed by social actors. There is often word of a link between political, economic and a part of expert actors who, under the pretext of development and public interest, use spatial resources for their own profit. Civil actors supported by a part of the professional public oppose such projects by gathering into civic initiatives. The most famous example in the observed period in Zagreb was the case of Preradović's (Flower) square when the Pravo na grad (Right to the City) initiative and the Zelena akcija (Green Action, Friends of the Earth Croatia) association organized a series of protest actions against the destruction of historic buildings and the construction of a shopping center. All types of media reported about their actions, and this thesis is devoted primarily to non-profit media (Zarez, Vijenac, H-alter, Kulturpunkt etc.) who supported these civic initiatives. The statements of civil and expert actors about the Flower Square published in these media were used to analyze its values, and at the same time to proclaim the use of this method when selecting conservation solutions. Non-profit media continue to follow other initiatives that appear in Zagreb, which are no longer just aimed at stopping projects which they find destructive, but also at proposing new content that should improve their living space. Research and art projects, involving citizens, also highlight the values of degraded urban areas and individual objects. Together, all these projects and initiatives, along with the media that support them, influence the creation of an image of the city, i.e. the perception of a city in the mind of its citizens, which should influence the adoption of urban and conservation solutions.

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