HISTORICAL UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES OF BELGRADE: IDENTIFICATION, CLASSIFICATION, AND URBAN POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE CITY DEVELOPMENT

19th WORLD CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CENTRES FOR THE URBAN UNDERGROUND SPACE, Belgrade, Serbia, November 4-7, 2025. (Paper No: 1.25.180,  pp. 255-267)

 

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Nemanja Šipetić , Saša Milijić

 

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DOI:  10.46793/ACUUS2025.1.25.180

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

The rapid growth of the global population has intensified the imbalance between urban expansion and sustainable resource management, including water, materials, energy, air, and space. In response, contemporary urban planning increasingly explores the integration of underground spaces to enhance sustainability, functionality, and spatial efficiency. Historically, underground spaces have served military, religious, infrastructural, economic, and residential purposes, often emerging from necessity rather than systematic planning. Today, their identification, analysis, and classification are crucial for strategic urban planning, particularly in cities with significant historical and cultural contexts. This study examines Belgrade’s underground structures, developed over its urban history, with the aim of inventorying, categorizing, and establishing typologies to inform future interdisciplinary planning. Notably, Serbia’s legal framework does not recognize underground urbanism, emphasizing the need for scientific research and policy development in this field. The research methodology includes direct and indirect observation, institutional and field data analysis, and classification based on four key criteria: construction material, spatial dimension, current function, and historical origin. The study examines over 160 documented underground structures, excluding those under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense. Institutional control and restricted access have historically limited documentation efforts, yet public interest in Belgrade’s underground heritage has grown in recent decades. This research contributes to the development of scientifically grounded criteria for evaluating and integrating underground spaces into urban sustainability frameworks. The findings offer insights into the socio-historical significance of these spaces and provide recommendations for their future use and conservation.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

Underground Structures of Belgrade, Urban Underground Heritage, Valorization , Identification and Classification

ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

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