World Urbanism Day Celebrated
In regard with celebration of the World Urbanism Day, Rector of the University of Montenegro, Danilo Nikolic, PhD, opened an international exhibition of student works within the area of urbanism planning and design. The exhibition was organized by the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Montenegro in cooperation with architecture faculties in Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Poznanje, Vilnius and Stockholm.
‘It is my great pleasure for opening exhibition today for students of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Montenegro and partner faculties Europe wide, on the occasion of the World Urbanism Day’, Rector Nikolic said at the beginning of his speech.
Nikolic said that ‘Contemporary spatial complexity, more and more emphasized issues of urban growth and environmental sustainability, relation towards special resources and their promotion, resilience on climate changes, technical and technological development and digital revolution with imperative of ‘smart cities’, challenges between global requests and local possibilities, point to the need for continuous strengthening of the role of higher education in generating sustainable models of acting in different scientific disciplines and examination of conventional methodology of studying in education practice especially within the area of urbanism, architecture and spatial planning. Implementation of higher forms of education and research in architecture and urbanism, evolution from interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary approach; i.e. promoting collaborative knowledge, practice, research and innovations, may contribute to answering to complex urban needs of the 21st century cities’.
Stockholm Declaration on the environment of the United Nations from 1972 that introduced definition ‘the right to environment’, with explicitly underlined connection between the men’s environment and higher education. Promoting importance of social interest and concern about the environment it was pointed out to compulsory and fundamental role of universities in developing responsible behavior of individual and community in protecting and improving the environment, Nikolic concluded.
‘Urbanistic planning and architecture practice create spatial atmospheres that reflect economic functionality and social development and cultural identity. Contemporary treatment of interdependence of a man, object and surroundings, flexible and adaptive architecture urbanistic strategy as well as interdisciplinary scientific approach and findings create a new urban esthetics that meets conditions of technological, social and environmental sustainability’, Nikolic said.
The University of Montenegro is dominantly oriented towards regeneration of spatial resources of the University units and revitalization green fields within the University campus. Only for the past year, in campus of technical faculties, we have planted 140 new seedlings on behalf of 140 years since Montenegro has been recognized in the Berlin Congress, rectors of state universities of the Southeast Europe and Western Balkans have planted 25 seeds of olives on behalf of celebration of 45 years from foundation of the University of Montenegro and without formal occasion we formed a completely new green area of 4.000 square meters which presents the only park in urban core of Podgorica, built after restoration of independence. ‘Refining spatial structures and urban physiognomy, the University of Montenegro intend to promote socially responsible behavior, strengthen ecological awareness of student and citizen population and invest in sustainable future and development of our Montenegro’, Nikolic said.
With words: ‘Herewith I would like once more on my behalf and behalf of the University of Montenegro to congratulate you the World Urbanism Day and to invite you to enjoy visual expression of these young creators’, Rector solemnly opened the ceremony.
Chairman of the Steering Committee of the University of Montenegro, Dusko Bjelica, PhD, also congratulated the World Urbanism Day since not being able to attend due to official absence from the country.
Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Montenegro, Svetislav G. Popović, PhD, in his addressing emphasized significance of the World Urbanism day initiated by Carlos Maria della Paolera, professor from the University in Buenos Aires in 1949.
Dean Popovic concluded that ‘urbanization of certain areas create conditions for economic growth, since cities are epicenter of the economy, market and cultural identity of any country. Cities create richness and improve life standard, at the same time providing density, interactions and networks, making us more creative and productive’. Dean Popovic underlined that ‘New culture of space management warns us that we must influence on development of critical level of knowledge to initiate trends of special degradation. It is necessary to directly raise and refine level of national awareness about significance and decoration of space since space is imperative of development of Montenegrin state’.
Popovic said that ‘Aim of exhibition is to point to reflexive role of academic institution and its social significance in raising awareness and training for acting in a complex surrounding of new challenges faced by settlements and cities’.
On study program Architecture so far master title is obtained by seven colleagues and 181 specialists for urbanism, Popovic said.
Svetlana Perović, Assistant Professor, as an organizer of the exhibition, expressed her pleasure for message will be conveyed from a leading Montenegrin academic institution, from an entrance hall, not from some ‘more comfortable space’ since ‘entrance hall is the point of synergy of in and outside’, form of public space, which is correlated with intellectual history of urban development which is explicit – public spaces are official sights of interaction with the reflexivity of collective culture’.
I the context of problem complexity faced by urban spaces of the 21st century, Perovic pointed to the need for new concepts and policies of regeneration of cities, looking back on several important names from the domain of urban theory and practice. Perovic stated that need for new urban policy was shown by numerous researchers among which especially French philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre, underlining spatial treatment as ‘social product’ and necessity for ‘The Right to the City ’, then postmodern geographer and urbanist Edward Soja in researches of spatial theory as well as British professor of architecture and urban morphology Bill Hillier, seeking for ‘new science about space’ for cities of 21st century. Perovic concluded that in current time of information domination and networking and at the same time communication crisis, Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells says that ‘paradox of the 21st century is at power, when we may live in cities without spatially founded systems of cultural communication, followed by functional, social, symbolic disintegration and there is need for a new urban theory to redefine traditional patterns of urban culture’. Simultaneously defined authors also show that cosmopolitan era of consumption should be directed to ‘social and ecologically productive way’, Perovic said.
‘It is clear that a dominant role in solving complex urban problems should be assumed by integrated knowledge, collaborative participating processes of urban planning and architecture designing. This is claimed by British architect, former Dean of architecture of the University in Westminster and professor in the University in Sheffield, Jeremy Till, in his research and works ‘Architecture and Participation’ i.e. ‘The Negotiation of Hope’ where he emphasizes limited domains of standard architecture and urbanistic practice that needs to ‘give up the control’ if architecture intends to become ‘means for reexamination of special and social future’, Perovic concluded.