Sabac builds city within city - Capital of Macva expands to the river, chance to provide housing for 4,000 citizens

(future look of the planned settlement)

When a city becomes small for all those who would like to live in it, it is not rare that people start illegal construction. Unused land has, thus, become a real luxury for all bigger local self-governments in Serbia. However, it is less known that the capital of Macva has been enjoying that luxury for years. A decades-long wish of the citizens of Sabac to expand that city to the river again may soon be fulfilled...

According to the project Sabac - City on Water, which has been launched by the city management, the bank of the Sava river that Sabac is leaned against will be connected to the city center, and a real small city will be built in that "new" area, where about 4,000 people should get their home.

Vera Mihaljevic, architect working at the Town Planning Institute of Belgrade, and her colleague Jovanka Djordjevic, author of the project Sabac - City on Water, speak to eKapija about the justification of the city`s expansion to the river and thematic units that citizens and investors can expect to see in the future settlement.

- A whole new part of the city is being designed, the part in an attractive location, on the bank of the Sava river, and it will represent a direct link between the rest of the city and the river. There used to be a landfill, a barracks of the Yugoslav People`s Army (JNA) and a fortress, which is a proof that Sabac once stretched to the river. However, apart from a rudimentary promenade and a park, the citizens of Sabac have never had a link or a contact with the river. In the meantime, the city authorities have managed to rehabilitate the landfill and come into possession of the land through negotiations with the Army.

(future residential and sports and recreational zones)

Vera Mihaljevic stresses that the city`s 100-percent ownership of the land is a rare moment in the last 10 to 20 years, adding that it makes the planning process and construction significantly easier, eliminates the problems of displacement, permits for investors, etc.

City construction plan

As Sabac Mayor Milos Simonovic announced earlier, the plan envisages the construction of a settlement with a primary school, kindergarten, heating plant, shopping center, business and residential areas, and an area for villas. Also, streets in the settlement by the river Sava will look like a logical extension of streets in the main part of Sabac.

Infrastructure will be built in phases. The city will be investing money from the sale of land lots and fees for the building land development.

According to the plan, locations along the green market (an extension of Kralja Milana Street) will be put up for sale the first, and the entire income will be spent on the construction of municipal infrastructure.

(a model of one of the future facilities)

Local self-government expects a big interest because the old landfill (Dudara), located in the vicinity of the future settlement, has been rehabilitated and will be turned into a sports and recreational zone.

eKapija`s interlocutor and one of the project authors say that the city will thus get more than attractive facilities: marina, swimming pools, sports courts, hotel, parks, modern residential zone, office space...

- At the same time, the fortress will be affirmed as part of the identity of this area and the whole city. The concept of the new city will offer a maximum comfort of residing and living not only to the citizens living in this part of the city, but also to all people in Sabac - says Vera Mihaljevic.

She specifies that the new settlement will span a total of 180,000 square meters fully adapted to the needs of 4,000 inhabitants. The future residential zone is planned to span 17 hectares, meaning that 400 people will leave on one hectare of land.

(future look of the marina)

Marina for tourist ships

The project Sabac-City on the Sava also defines the construction of a marina for tourist ships featuring a hotel that will be situated in the vicinity of silos.

On the Mihajlovac field, where a fair is held every year on the religious holiday Mala Gospojina, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a new stadium will be built. The settlement will also comprise a nature museum and a theater in the open.

Jelena Djelic