Twelve small public areas were arranged throughout Novi Sad and its surroundings within the second ‘New Places – Microgranting’ call during 2020. The main objective of the call, which was launched within the ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ project, is to raise awareness and capacity of local communities and actively involve them in the arrangement of small public areas, i.e. that members of local communities, who are best acquainted with the needs of their environment, suggest the most adequate solutions.

Some of the 13 projects of the citizens of Novi Sad, which passed the call, included creating an oasis for rest and socializing by setting up benches and a table with a chess board in Novo Naselje (Kaće Dejanović Street), then a pergola in Ledinci (Zmaj Jovina Street), a new corner in Adice (Marije Bursać Street) where fellow citizens now have more places to hang out and where new trees have been planted, gazebo on Detelinara (Omladinskog Pokreta Street) and setting up urban benches in the yard near Turgenjeva Street and Bulevar Oslobođenja Street.

In addition to the above mentioned, Novi Sad associations of citizens and residential communities set up street furniture and thus created new and cleaner oases for enjoyment on Liman 1 (behind the ‘Beza’ cafe), Klisa (Sentandrejski Put BB), Šodroš (Ribarsko Ostrvo), Novo Naselje (Partizanskih Baza Street), in Petrovaradin (Zlatarićeva/Božidara Adžije Street), Rumenka (near FC Jedinstvo) and Stepanovićevo (Milunke Savić Street), where the gazebo from Liman was transferred. The arrangement of the public area and setting up the street furniture at Beogradski Quay 39 has been rescheduled for spring 2021, due to other works in that street.

Associations of citizens and residential communities that applied this year are: Student Union of the University of Novi Sad, European Youth Centre of Vojvodina, Novi Sad Cycling Club ‘Invictabike’, Centre for Multidisciplinary Research and Communication, Association of Citizens ‘Centre for Nurturing Tradition – Ravničar’, Association of Citizens ‘Institute for Youth Policies’, Residential Association of Omladinskog Pokreta Street 2, Ecological Association ‘Zeleni Sad’, Football Club ‘Jedinstvo’, Projektarijum Novi Sad, Association of Citizens ‘Novi Sad 1748’, Association of Citizens ‘Moj Atar’ and the Residents’ Association of Beogradski Quay 39.

New places, i.e. small public areas, represent new locations for various cultural events in the future European Capital of Culture, so the place that was arranged during the previous call in 2018 this year was the location for the Milan Mumin book evening within Kaleidoscope of Culture.

This year, in the week of architecture, the Kaleidoscope of Culture dedicated a forum to the ‘New Places – Microgranting’ call, where the results and advantages of the call were discussed, at the location that was arranged this year – in the yard of Kaće Dejanović Street. Miljan Cvijetić, president of the Association of Architects of Novi Sad and the president of the jury of the call, pointed out that citizens ‘have not had the opportunity to participate in shaping the city so far, and now they have an invitation to turn their idea into reality’. You can watch the whole forum on the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Youtube Channel. In addition to the Association of Architects of Novi Sad, which are partners on the project, the members of the jury are also from Gradsko Zelenilo Novi Sad and ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation.

The ‘New Places – Microgranting’ call was implemented for the first time in 2018, as part of the preparations of Novi Sad for the title of European Capital of Culture through the ’46 Urban Pockets’ project from the Bid Book .

Photo: Vladimir Veličković