Niš on the “Future Cities” Wings
Historians, geographers and writers have always called city of Niš the gateway between the East and West. Niš is one of the oldest cities in this part of Europe, thanks to its exceptional geographical position on several road routes that connect Central and Western Europe with the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Seas. Such a geographical position determined the fate of Niš over the centuries.The population of the Niš area from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age shows that the history of these areas remembers the Romans, Goths, Illyrians, Thracian, Celts and other peoples after them.
With the birth of Flavius Valerius Constantine in Niš in the second half of the 3rd century - Roman emperor, protector of Christianity and great statesman and warrior - the city gained a significant place in world history, Niš gained further splendor in the 6th century during the reign of Justinian I, the restorer of the empire.
This is, in short, early historical background of the city we live in. Through years, the faith of the world was the faith of the city, and all of the world’s and Europe’s turmoil left traces on the city and on its quality of life as well. Today, the city has almost 300.000 citizens, a regional university, and is the cultural and economic center of this part of Serbia. Niš also shares more or less all of the problems of the Balkans, EU and the world, while having at the center the most valuable treasure — its citizens.
So, we came into 2020. Citizens over 50 know that they used to open their windows to breathe better air, bathe in a clean city river, and remember sledding and snowboarding in hilly city streets. All that happened once upon a time. Slowly, almost invisibly, everything changed…
The “Over 50” group has nice memories and maybe a little bit less dreams. But, what about younger? That’s why I asked our team give their picture of the city they would like to live in and asked them if they can repair ‘broken things’.
Tamara (48) said: I see Niš in 2027 — as a SMART city full of positive developments. I consider crucial for transformational development of the city: smart data, open government and decision making; IT solutions and networks; smart garbage collection and recycling; participatory and smart urban planning; smart mobility; green and eco-friendly solutions; urban resilience; smart innovations; sustainable resource usage (water, energy and natural resources); education and culture.
The starting point for all this, for sure, is citizens’ involvement and participation — then the vision can be jointly defined and realized! The sentence of the 2030 Agenda “…the localization of the 2030 Agenda is not the implementation of a global or national agenda at local level; but rather building adequate conditions at local level to achieve the global goals” is something I believe is a ruling paradigm that should be applied when working on the development of the Future City of Niš.
Djordje (39) said: I want to see my city as first in Serbia to shift from a linear take-make-waste economy to a circular model. Urban laboratories like in Helsinki - treating entire neighborhoods as innovation platforms where new solutions can be developed and tested - could be a way to speed up the development of smart services in Niš’ traditionally slow urban context. I realized that some of the most transformative changes in Niš can happen in lively, enjoyable public spaces that can make my city come alive, that are attractive and fun to be in. As a New York City urban planner said “A popular and successful city is like a great party. People stay there because they are having a great time.”
The destination I see for my city can seem far away, maybe even too ambitious. We might end up trying out things that have never been done before and that could seem impossible on several levels. But I wouldn’t let that stop me from trying and taking the steps to make it happen. Otherwise, how could I know what I can actually achieve? The impossibility part could then become just a bigger dream to make happen. As a great statesman once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Natalija (25) said: In my future city, citizens are much more involved in the realization of community goals related to environmental protection and reduction of environmental pollution. Expanded awareness among individuals and companies about the importance of this topic, as well as involvement in the actions itself is something that is an everyday thing and a greener living environment plays an important role in making the city better for its residents. Niš has public transport in the form of electric trolleybuses, which has a great positive effect on the environment. There are also smart streets that provide a complete set of applications from smart lighting, parking assistance, electric car charging stations, smart containers, environmental sensors, video surveillance control, and available connections for Wi-Fi or Li-Fi….. I had the opportunity to travel and see a lot of cities around the world, I think that Niš has a lot of potential to become like those smart cities. I imagine my city of Niš as a green, digital and smart city in the future, in which I would like to live and work.
And so, these are our visions. These pictures contain collaborative communities, enabling economies, smarter systems and municipal momentum. We love our city and share a feeling that we can change the world and the city we live in. We are ready to be the part of the collective mission to make this city into one of the best possible place in Europe to live, work and visit by 2025, which means to participate in the process of radical change on multiple fronts.
And the most important point — we all believe that Niš has the team and assets needed for this journey — our background, our knowledge, our youth and our long time established predisposition to overcome any obstacle that is put on our way. And this is much.
Let us meet in 2025 in the Future City of Niš!
