The construct in 44°49'14" & 20°27'44"

Abstract

Enduringly cities have been birthplaces of mankind’s emerging development whose distinguishing mark was the open flow of people, commodities and ideas. One of the founders of the sociology of the city R.E. Park wrote «Cities are a product of human nature". In today’s global age cities are even more a mirror of the human endeavors, to advance themselves by emphasizing quality,. Among the key qualities is an (authentic) culture. This paper deals with the constitution of authentic culture in a city, and how the now constructed culture contributes to the development of the city. When the construct is ascertained it denotes the positioning of the city in the race for ranking on the world map. Furthermore the construct reflects on how the development affects the life of the city. Research was conducted on the bohemian quarter of Belgrade known as Skadarlija. Skadarlija is an established symbol in Belgrade’s (urban) topography which we recognize as a conserved milieu in which old city culture is being easily and flamboyantly mediated through eating, drinking and music. When such common place paradigms are deconstructed novel readings arise. Narratives that include the change of communication, how the construct emerged, stories of civil actions and a chain of political decisions, and finally why this area and not some other, emerge.