Saturday, 14 April 2018, marked the beginning of the long-expected works on revitalisation of the old industrial zone, the so-called ‘Chinese Quarter’ that will be transformed into Youth Creative Polis.

Five points of development of the Youth Creative Polis were adopted on the foundations of the culture of dialogue, expressed through the series of public discussions organised by the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation during last year and dedicated to the revitalisation of Chinese Quarter. On Saturday, 14 April 2018, the first phase of works started. This phase includes placement of necessary communal infrastructure and removal of unsafe objects.

Novi Sad, as a rare example in the region, can boast with restoration and development of two important objects of industrial heritage: former silk factory and former factory complex known today as Chinese Quarter. Citizens of Novi Sad can rightfully be proud of the fact that these objects will be dedicated to culture, art and creative industries, based on decision of citizens and expert public that supported this initiative through research, surveys, focus groups and public discussions.

All users of the spaces located in the area of the first phase of works have been relocated, with their consent and according to their wishes, to temporary or permanent locations, with the help of the Administration for Property or independently. After this important investment in communal infrastructure, the second half of 2018 will be dedicated to the renovation and construction of certain objects.

Working Group for capital infrastructure projects of the European Capital of Culture, with the support of the Committee for Development of the ‘Youth Creative Polis’, coordinated the meetings between competent enterprises, city administrations, as well as representatives of cultural-artistic production and crafts from the so-called Chinese Quarter, which took into consideration all the needs, as well as laid down technical conditions for work on the system of communal infrastructure in the so-called Chinese Quarter.

‘Project designers, who have examined the situations in detail on the field, have advised that all users of work spaces should be informed that due to age and devastation of the object, conditions for work in the following period will be unsafe and hindered’, said Darko Polić, Chairperson of the Working Group for Capital Infrastructure Projects. In accordance to this, users of the spaces have been informed that the safety is compromised and access to objects limited. In order to help lessees who have regularly paid their leases, a new advertisement for leasing the space will be published. In this way, and in accordance with their needs and possibilities, they will find adequate temporary or permanent work space until the beginning of constructions works planned for September 2018.

The first phase of works in 2018 and 2019 will include construction of communal infrastructure and management of all traffic areas on the Despot Stefan Boulevard in the norther zone of the so-called Chinese Quarter, and of road between the so-called Chinese Quarter and student dormitories.