Kartonsko naselje
Encyclopedia
Cardboard city was an informal settlement, or locally classified as unhygienic settlement, basically a slum
in the capital of Serbia
. It was located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd
. The settlement was completely evicted and cleared in 2009.
or nylon
bags. The settlement had no communal infrastructure (roads, running water, sewage, electricity).
The settlement was located beneath the bridges Gazela and Stari železnički. The settlement was just a few kilometers away from the downtown Belgrade, close to the Block 19 and Block 20, and in contrast to five-star hotels Hyatt Regency Belgrade
and Continental Hotel Belgrade.
There were 986 people living in the Cardboard city (501 men; 485 women) of whom 278 were children living in 237 "households" according to the census taken by the city authorities in August 2007.
The City Government announced in 2005 that it will evict the population from the settlement into a new one, made of the temporary container houses in the area around the neighborhoods of Dr Ivan Ribar
and Blokovi
. This decision was not received with approval of the local population. They demanded that the city government should disperse the population on the territory of the entire city, especially in Dedinje
, the most affluent neighborhood of Belgrade and that simply moving the population without giving them any jobs or education would not make the difference. They claimed that the action was caused by desire of the city government to free the land for construction. Some NGOs supported the city government, also labeling the protesters being racist, but some pointed out that the solution proposed by the city was not good, economically and socially. After months of verbal clashes and protests, city halted the eviction.
In July 2007, city government again announced the wish relocate an estimated 245 families with 1,500 people from the settlement in spring 2008, due to the planned reconstruction of the Gazela bridge
. However, the data on how and where the population will be relocated were not given, but the census of population within the settlement began in August 2007.
In May 2009, the decision was made that the Cardboard City should be evicted by the end of June (a total of 176 families). Families were informed that they will be displaced from the settlement within 45 days. Families residing in Belgrade, 112 of them, will be temporarily displaced in containers that will be placed across Belgrade suburbs, while the remaining 62 families will be returned to their area of origin and would become the responsibility of the Government. Families residing in Belgrade would have the right to social assistance, with the only condition being that their children must attend school. It was announced that the reconstruction and repair of the bridge Gazela can begin immediately after the displacement. On August 31, 2009 the Cardboard city was completely evicted, and all families were resettled in 5 Belgrade municipalities, or returned to their area of origin outside Belgrade.
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
in the capital of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It was located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd
Novi Beograd
Novi Beograd or New Belgrade is the most populous municipality that constitutes the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is a planned city, built in 1947 on the left bank of the Sava river which was previously an uninhabited area, opposite of the old Belgrade...
. The settlement was completely evicted and cleared in 2009.
Settlement
Most of the houses in the Cardboard city were built, as its name suggests, from cardboard or other non-building materials, like plywoodPlywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
or nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
bags. The settlement had no communal infrastructure (roads, running water, sewage, electricity).
The settlement was located beneath the bridges Gazela and Stari železnički. The settlement was just a few kilometers away from the downtown Belgrade, close to the Block 19 and Block 20, and in contrast to five-star hotels Hyatt Regency Belgrade
Hyatt Regency Belgrade
Hyatt Regency Belgrade is a modern 5-star hotel located in New Belgrade, Serbia, close to both the city centre and Sava Center, and fifteen minutes from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.-Rooms:...
and Continental Hotel Belgrade.
There were 986 people living in the Cardboard city (501 men; 485 women) of whom 278 were children living in 237 "households" according to the census taken by the city authorities in August 2007.
Depopulation
The Cardboard city was depopulated on 31. August 2009, following 4 years of unsuccessful attempts.The City Government announced in 2005 that it will evict the population from the settlement into a new one, made of the temporary container houses in the area around the neighborhoods of Dr Ivan Ribar
Dr Ivan Ribar
Dr Ivan Ribar is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd.- Location :...
and Blokovi
Blokovi
Blokovi is the semi-formal plural name for a group of urban neighborhoods in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd....
. This decision was not received with approval of the local population. They demanded that the city government should disperse the population on the territory of the entire city, especially in Dedinje
Dedinje
Dedinje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac...
, the most affluent neighborhood of Belgrade and that simply moving the population without giving them any jobs or education would not make the difference. They claimed that the action was caused by desire of the city government to free the land for construction. Some NGOs supported the city government, also labeling the protesters being racist, but some pointed out that the solution proposed by the city was not good, economically and socially. After months of verbal clashes and protests, city halted the eviction.
In July 2007, city government again announced the wish relocate an estimated 245 families with 1,500 people from the settlement in spring 2008, due to the planned reconstruction of the Gazela bridge
Gazela Bridge
Gazela is the most important bridge in Belgrade, Serbia, across the Sava river. It is a part of the city highway and it lies on European route E75, on the highway passing through the wider city center, connecting Belgrade with Niš to the south, and Novi Sad to the north...
. However, the data on how and where the population will be relocated were not given, but the census of population within the settlement began in August 2007.
In May 2009, the decision was made that the Cardboard City should be evicted by the end of June (a total of 176 families). Families were informed that they will be displaced from the settlement within 45 days. Families residing in Belgrade, 112 of them, will be temporarily displaced in containers that will be placed across Belgrade suburbs, while the remaining 62 families will be returned to their area of origin and would become the responsibility of the Government. Families residing in Belgrade would have the right to social assistance, with the only condition being that their children must attend school. It was announced that the reconstruction and repair of the bridge Gazela can begin immediately after the displacement. On August 31, 2009 the Cardboard city was completely evicted, and all families were resettled in 5 Belgrade municipalities, or returned to their area of origin outside Belgrade.