https://caring-cities.org/towards-a-caring-city/?from=tags/europe/%23r-2351ceb2-d763-45bf-ae3a-d0c30cb90231
Europe - Towards a caring city As part of the RLS Caring City Projekt, Iskra Krstić, Iva Čukić and Jovana Timotijević conducted two Interviews with feminist architects on the situation in Serbia. Jovana and Iva are part of the Ministry of Space collective from Belgrade, which was founded in 2011 with the aim of reflection on the future of cities. Late 2021 found both urban planning in particular and Serbian society in general heavily influenced by the needs and whims of financial capital, pampered and catered for by political power and state policies. Serbian towns and cities are becoming more hostile and threatening than inviting or caring for the majority of their residents and guests, and especially so for the vulnerable social groups. The hold of neoliberal politics is strong and omnipresent, so that the communities and individuals dedicated to progressive politics and/or urban planning are forced to use defensive strategies: instead of evolving and operationalizing progressive principles, they are more often than not forced to defend the existing institutions, practices and spaces from further degradation. Nevertheless, in such struggles, there often emerge emancipatory practices within the communities struggling in solidarity for their right to the city. Even though they often do not name such self-organisational practices as commons-based or feminist, the principles they establish and follow are in fact in line with the principles of care, collaboration and inclusion. Furthermore, we also recognize individual efforts to transform the institutional infrastructure, although rigid, conservative and patriarchal, through particular, singular intrusions. With the strong belief that these practices, efforts and struggles matter, as they are potent in the context of long-term systemic transformation toward the vision of a caring, just city, we aim to document them.