Conference Presentations by Igor Kuvac
The book of Proceedings of 4th International Academic Conference PLACES AND TECHNOLOGIES 2017, 2017
The question of scale of urban space is one of the most discussed in recent urban discourse. With... more The question of scale of urban space is one of the most discussed in recent urban discourse. With the change of traditional values of space and time, the dynamics of construction of urban space also change. Cities worldwide are growing rapidly. However, urbanization is not followed with the urbanity either density with urban intensity. Cities are transforming into large-scale regional cities. In the same time, they are losing the main idea that city used to represent at the first place: which is to be a locus of diversity that offers wide range of activities and opportunities for social encounters. This research takes the position that even if the scale of urban space will continue to increase, the small scale is still the one that ensures urbanity, even in large-scale urban region. In the framework of multi-scale approach, in the first part of this paper, the development of ongoing discourse on small scale urban design and its application in practice will be discussed. The second part of the analysis will present examples of small scaled interventions in urban space of Banja Luka, and will also show potential system of spots for this kind of approach in a short-term period. The aim of the paper is to reconsider and to propose the small-scale approach in designing nowadays cities.
Proceedings of International Academic Conference Browninfo 2014, Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Banja Luka, 2014
Industrial complexes of Bosnian and Herzegovinian socialist city were generators of urban develop... more Industrial complexes of Bosnian and Herzegovinian socialist city were generators of urban development, symbols of progress of a " new state ", but also a place of social, even cultural life. In this sense they formed a part of collective memory of cities and their inhabitants. This paper examines a way in which industrial complexes were turned into Brownfield, as well as later attempts of their urban regeneration. This forced the change of collective memory of the city during the last two decades of transition. Analysis is based on the case study of Sana textile industry located in the city of Novi Grad. The aim of this paper is to point out the complexity and specificity of Brownfield in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is to show one more aspect which should be considered in the re-evaluation of current, and also to propose possible and alternative methods of urban Brownfield regeneration.
BROWNFIELD PROSTORI I KOLEKTIVNA MEMORIJA GRADA: PRIMER TEKSTILNE INDUSTRIJE SANA U NOVOM GRADU
REZIME
Industrijski kompleksi bosanskohercegovačkog socijalističkog grada bili su generatori urbanog razvoja, simboli napretka " nove države ", ali i mesta društvenog pa čak i kulturnog života. U tom smislu činili su deo kolektivne memorije gradova i njihovih stanovnika. Rad ispituje način na koji su industrijski kompleksi pretvoreni u brownfield prostore, a zatim i usledjeli pokušaji njihove urbane regeneracije, uticali na promene u kolektivnoj memoriji grada tokom poslednje dve decenije tranzicije. Ispitivanje se vrši na studiji slučaja tekstilne industrije Sana u Novom Gradu. Cilj rada je da se ukaže na složenost i specifičnost brownfield prostora u Bosni i Hercegovini; to jeste, da se u odnosu na prethodno pomenuti aspekt preispitaju aktuelni i ponude mogući ili alternativni načini njihove urbane regeneracije.
Proceedings for The "No Cost Housing Conference" ETH Zurich, 2016, 2016
Increased migrations together with capital flow and housing market have caused the misbalance bet... more Increased migrations together with capital flow and housing market have caused the misbalance between housing construction and people's real needs. This problem registered in the cities worldwide is mostly related to the developing countries, but is also present in Europe, especially in the Western Balkans. The paper explores housing development in the conditions of the postwar recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H) during the last 20 years, focusing on the experience ofìnformal neighborhoods', which are not very common in developed European countries. Those are understood as an experiment whose outcomes may be of broader relevance. We state that a valuable characteristic of housing may be found from this 'self-created' model. This paper analyses the characteristics of urban patterns of low cost housing which have emerged and developed within an informal urban fabric in B-H. The analysis highlights positive values such as: flexibility in self-organization of small spatial units, the use of interactive 'collective' space, gradual development and in-process housing construction. It is expected that these results may find the purpose in improving the existing planning legislation in the context analyzed, but also in EU.
This paper explores architectural industries that emerged in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Civ... more This paper explores architectural industries that emerged in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Civil War (1992-1995) when formal urban construction decreased as a consequence of destruction of urban fabric, migration and lack of urban policy. This informal architectural industry and the particular construction systems that were adopted are understood as specific to the context in which they were developed. Techniques rely on experience, customs and traditions of construction in given circumstances. In Bosnia and Herzegovina builders returned to basic construction principles and maintained traditional ways of dwelling discontinuous with the earlier full urban development. This field research shows that this context has been an experimental field for 20 years in the expansion of construction and at the same time it diminishes the opportunity to build capacity for formal architectural industries. The study compares 'formal' and 'informal' architectural industry with the ...
6th European Postgraduate SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM, 2016
Planning of urban environment which is defined by existing planning policy and legislation is muc... more Planning of urban environment which is defined by existing planning policy and legislation is much more close to abstraction in the conditions of contemporary world. Plans, often distant form people's needs, do not cope with all aspects of reality; and in most cases, never reach to be completely implemented into the real urban space. In the same time, informal urban fabric is emerging worldwide as a product of actual and existential people's need. It is usually related to underdeveloped societies and marginal neighbourhoods with a lack of infrastructure and poor living standard. However, it can be claimed that informal urban fabric shows certain vitality rooted in housing tradition and cultural patterns that is missing in some brand-new planned residential area. History of city development has shown that only people and their everyday activities can bring planned urban environment to real life, ensure its sustainability and give it specific character. Within this framework, the paper explores the relationship between formal and informal urban space production in the context of transitional Bosnia and Herzegovinian city. It analyses transition from " informal " to " formal " and vice versa in order to identify to which extent both of these urban fabrics can contribute to sustainable development of residential area in contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovinian city. Transformation of physical and functional features of two neighbourhoods in the city of Banjaluka is examined within the timeframe of the last two decades of postwar recovery. Actual situation on the field is compared with those defined by planning policy documents for the neighbourhoods selected. The study emphasizes advantages and disadvantages of both formal and informal urban fabrics, suggesting their integration in the processes of further planning and development.
The study refers to past 20 years, and analyzes relationship to the future when it was seen with ... more The study refers to past 20 years, and analyzes relationship to the future when it was seen with different eyes, but in a moment when it was believed as promising. The focus is on (un)planned growth of "common space" in "new cities" of post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. In one hand, the "common spaces" are seen as transition from the socialist to neoliberal system of social organization and on the other, they are seen from the aspects of close experience of author through the period of 20 years, which measures the future in an average lifetime. This period is also considered as relevant for legal length of planned documents. In conditions of capitalism and based on experience of neo-liberal planning, it is assumed that the urban planning was not aligned within the context. Actual conditions, changes, growth of citizen's needs, tendencies to develop society, the identity, development of consciousness and education were not included in planning. Analogy is made between specific context and the origin of results of early plans and new visions of another future based on past and complexity of new context. A main goal should be to diagnose consequences of (un)planned system and a level of past visions of future as well as current conditions in order to create a context for the "new future". There are a couple of planning guidelines that can be used for 20-year old period and can be seen as a process which includes a lot of different elements.
Urban development follows the logic of a context, but forms of land occupation are not always bas... more Urban development follows the logic of a context, but forms of land occupation are not always based on continuously built structures, causing heterogeneity and emergence of urban voids. This is a characteristic of cities that, due to different conditions, have been spontaneously developed. On the example of the last 20- years-long development of Cesma-Madir neighborhood in Banjaluka the paper explores performative patterns of voids, as a specific feature of a low-density city.
According to identity values of urban discontinuity, the study points out their potentials in processes of transformations and extensive further research.
Papers by Igor Kuvac
Journal of Urban History, 2021
Integrated urban planning is based on the necessity of constantly adapting to complex social proc... more Integrated urban planning is based on the necessity of constantly adapting to complex social processes and applying methodology that supports multidisciplinarity, flexibility, and adaptability. In trying to achieve future visions and to meet trends of urbanization, inherited contextual values are often forgotten. Although the impression that everything was better before is based on nostalgia, the urban development history should still be analyzed. This article analyzes principles of integrated urban planning by reviewing twentieth-century development of Banja Luka. The objective is to recognize, to evaluate, and to adapt those principles to the contemporary context and to reconsider them in the future. The analysis shows the positive and negative values of the development, which reveals that the principles of integrated urban planning were present in each period. As their singularity and fragmentation without the systematic integration was not efficient enough, recommendations for improving integrated urban planning in the specific context are given.
The question of scale of urban space is one of the most discussed in recent urban discourse. With... more The question of scale of urban space is one of the most discussed in recent urban discourse. With the change of traditional values of space and time, the dynamics of construction of urban space also change. Cities worldwide are growing rapidly. However, urbanization is not followed with the urbanity either density with urban intensity. Cities are transforming into large-scale regional cities. In the same time, they are losing the main idea that city used to represent at the first place: which is to be a locus of diversity that offers wide range of activities and opportunities for social encounters. This research takes the position that even if the scale of urban space will continue to increase, the small scale is still the one that ensures urbanity. In the first part of this paper, the development of ongoing discourse on small scale urban design and its application in practice will be discussed. The second part of the analysis will present examples of small scaled interventions in urban space of Banja Luka, and will also show potential system of spots for this kind of approach in a short-term period. The aim of the paper is to reconsider and to propose the small-scale approach in designing nowadays cities.
Revista “HipoTesis”, Hipo 4, Excepciones de excepción/ Exceptional Exceptions, 2016
It is not easy to objectively present exceptional and 'wounded' cultural space of post-war Bosnia... more It is not easy to objectively present exceptional and 'wounded' cultural space of post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) that has been interwoven with divided histories, opposing views and conflicting identities. In still present war discourse it is difficult to find a single common ground which would allow people to start over again and build peaceful future of the space. This paper is trying to identify the possibility to recognize the cultural space in the art of the film, which could be helpful in this complex task. It is assumed that recognition of cultural layer of the space is the basis for comprehension of the processes which have defined complex space of BiH. The analysis uses an insight into a cross-section of cinematic art from the period of breakup of Yugoslavia, attempting to describe shared cultural context of events that happened in the last 25 years. The paper establishes an exceptional connection between a film space and perception of cultural space, in searching for hybrid identity as a basis for common future.
Urbani izziv, 2017
The modern world is facing rapid urbanisation, increasing urban population, constant growth of ci... more The modern world is facing rapid urbanisation, increasing urban population, constant growth of cities and the construction of new neighbourhoods. Moreover, new neighbourhoods often lack the elements of identity in the context of the place and the people who live there. Therefore, it is necessary to construct these identities together with the physical and natural structure of place and the cultural identity of the people. The construction of spatial identities has been studied in two case studies of " new " neighbourhoods, Mađir (Banjaluka, Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Ilsvika (Trondheim, Norway), using a qualitative analysis method. The comparison makes use of a triangle model that includes three elements of identity construction as three points of analysis: a) spatial context, b) participation in processes of planning and construction and c) action in place. The two cultural contexts and two ways of constructing spatial identity in the new neighbourhoods studied show certain similarities and differences. The study points to the universal significance of this phenomenon and indicates that the process could be improved in each case by applying positive experiences from the other, with adaptation to the specific context. Considering the importance and interrelation of the three elements involved in construction of spatial identities, they should be harmonised in all stages of development.
Sodobni svet je priča hitri urbanizaciji, povečevanju šte-vila mestnega prebivalstva, stalni rast... more Sodobni svet je priča hitri urbanizaciji, povečevanju šte-vila mestnega prebivalstva, stalni rasti mest in gradnji novih sosesk. Slednjim pogosto primanjkuje prvin lastne identitete z vidika kraja in ljudi, ki tam živijo, zato jih je treba ustvariti skupaj s fizično in naravno strukturo kraja ter kulturno identiteto ljudi. Konstrukcija prostor-ske identitete je v članku z metodo kvalitativne analize obravnavana na podlagi primera dveh »novih« mestnih sosesk: soseske Mađir v bosanski Banjaluki in soseske Ilsvika v norveškem Trondheimu. Avtorja ju primerja-ta na podlagi modela trikotnika, ki vključuje tri prvine konstrukcije identitete kot tri točke analize: a) prostorski kontekst, b) sodelovanje pri načrtovanju in gradnji ter c) dogajanje v kraju. Med obema kulturnima konteks-toma in načinoma konstrukcije prostorske identitete so podobnosti in razlike. Raziskava je pokazala vsesplošen pomen obravnavanega pojava, pri čemer proces lahko iz-boljšamo z uporabo pozitivnih izkušenj drugih, ki jih pri-lagodimo posameznemu okolju. Zaradi pomembnosti in medsebojne povezave treh prvin, vključenih v konstruk-cijo prostorske identitete, bi jih bilo treba uskladiti na vseh stopnjah razvoja. Ključne besede: prvine konstrukcije, prostorska identi-teta, nove soseske, Mađir (Bosna in Hercegovina), Ilsvi-ka (Norveška)
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Conference Presentations by Igor Kuvac
BROWNFIELD PROSTORI I KOLEKTIVNA MEMORIJA GRADA: PRIMER TEKSTILNE INDUSTRIJE SANA U NOVOM GRADU
REZIME
Industrijski kompleksi bosanskohercegovačkog socijalističkog grada bili su generatori urbanog razvoja, simboli napretka " nove države ", ali i mesta društvenog pa čak i kulturnog života. U tom smislu činili su deo kolektivne memorije gradova i njihovih stanovnika. Rad ispituje način na koji su industrijski kompleksi pretvoreni u brownfield prostore, a zatim i usledjeli pokušaji njihove urbane regeneracije, uticali na promene u kolektivnoj memoriji grada tokom poslednje dve decenije tranzicije. Ispitivanje se vrši na studiji slučaja tekstilne industrije Sana u Novom Gradu. Cilj rada je da se ukaže na složenost i specifičnost brownfield prostora u Bosni i Hercegovini; to jeste, da se u odnosu na prethodno pomenuti aspekt preispitaju aktuelni i ponude mogući ili alternativni načini njihove urbane regeneracije.
According to identity values of urban discontinuity, the study points out their potentials in processes of transformations and extensive further research.
Papers by Igor Kuvac
BROWNFIELD PROSTORI I KOLEKTIVNA MEMORIJA GRADA: PRIMER TEKSTILNE INDUSTRIJE SANA U NOVOM GRADU
REZIME
Industrijski kompleksi bosanskohercegovačkog socijalističkog grada bili su generatori urbanog razvoja, simboli napretka " nove države ", ali i mesta društvenog pa čak i kulturnog života. U tom smislu činili su deo kolektivne memorije gradova i njihovih stanovnika. Rad ispituje način na koji su industrijski kompleksi pretvoreni u brownfield prostore, a zatim i usledjeli pokušaji njihove urbane regeneracije, uticali na promene u kolektivnoj memoriji grada tokom poslednje dve decenije tranzicije. Ispitivanje se vrši na studiji slučaja tekstilne industrije Sana u Novom Gradu. Cilj rada je da se ukaže na složenost i specifičnost brownfield prostora u Bosni i Hercegovini; to jeste, da se u odnosu na prethodno pomenuti aspekt preispitaju aktuelni i ponude mogući ili alternativni načini njihove urbane regeneracije.
According to identity values of urban discontinuity, the study points out their potentials in processes of transformations and extensive further research.