Baština (Jan 2014)
Some aspects of the urbanization process of the town of Kraljevo after the Second World War 1944-1955
Abstract
A forced industrialization immediately after the Second World War had impact on the sudden influx of population from rural areas in towns. This politics of the authorities was caused by two reasons: political-ideological relations toward peasant issue, and economic-social circumstances bearing in mind the fact in the largest parts of that state the overcrowding was prevalent in agricultural milieu. Communal infrastructure of those towns (cities) in Serbia could not be necessary to meet human level of needs of the new come population. Initial fundaments of the future town planning are included in the regulation and urban plans, which now represent extraordinary sources for the reconstruction of the urban development image. Dynamic demographic and industrial growth easily outgrows plans making them initially obsolete and disproportional with the needs of the town. In the first post-war decade Kraljevo faced a lot of demographic and urban problems, as a majority of urban settlements in that time Serbia. In the first decade after the Second World War population increased, and there were changes in the population structure. The lack of housing fund caused bad residential conditions. Town's authorities via building department tried to solve problems by rehabilitation, construction and renovation. In the preliminary draft of Regulation plan for 1948 some shortcomings were clearly noticed regarding the traffic regulation; road and rail transport including the problem of the issues of housing and urban solutions of the downtown together with the one of insufficient surface of green areas. Kraljevo was defined as industrial town at an important traffic crossroad as per its shape condition by the field configuration, the 'town in series'. The town itself was planned as a gravitation centre of Žički district, but from practical point of view Kraljevo had already been a regional centre for much larger area including the whole Studenički, and parts of Dragačevski, Moravički, Trnavski, Takovski, Gružanski, Trstenički and Župski district. The draft suggested the solution to intensive transit traffic in a way that in perspective it will displace the crossing of regional roads outside of urban centre. Due to insufficient housing fund a problem of illegal construction appeared, which was taking root so that until the middle of 1953 each eighth subject on misdemeanour proceeding related to illegal construction. New draft of the General Urban Plan, which was due to pass some advanced solutions and to amend the previous one from 1948 more concretely was finished in February 1954, and was adopted in 1955. Regulation and General Urban Plan had traced to Kraljevo the most general frames and theses, which defined future character and spirit of the settlement. Numerous surfaces which were dedicated, as per the plans, to sport and in the function of picnic places, were slightly transformed in housing settlements. Traffic infrastructure was solidly projected in accordance with traffic intensity of that time; nevertheless, those happy solutions in further years became ballast by the increase of intensity and volume of traffic, and the increased number of motor vehicles. Only the oldest core of the town remained unchanged. Flat building in the period from 1944 to 1955 still was taking root. Construction of the significant number of dwellings followed in the next period.
