Subotica
The attractiveness of cities, in terms of sustainable development, depends on the quality of life as well as on their competitiveness. The quality of living itself is closely related to the quality of public city spaces, which have their own physical and social framework.
In a situation where cities are branded as "green", "creative" or "cultural", Subotica, with its characteristic architecture of urban core buildings, can certainly build its development on the past and architectural heritage. The observed area is dominated by buildings in the style of the Hungarian Secession, the style of the late 19th and early 20th century, which in Subotica took on distinctly local characteristics in contact with Hungarian folk art. The most important building - the City Hall, as a sign of recognition of the city, is precisely the central point of the given area. Therefore, the stylistic specificity of the built framework of the city center represents the greatest existing created resource, and its rehabilitation, i.e. activation, raises the standard for the wider area as well. Thus, the relationship between the ornate decorativeness of the buildings and the urban characteristics of the observed public space, as its physical framework, represents one layer in the proposed solution concept. The second layer is the appreciation of the social framework of public space, i.e. the need for economic development and social cohesion. The concept is to achieve a greater degree of order and functionality through urban design, i.e. rehabilitation, but avoiding the negative effect of a boring environment which, due to certainty, diminishes the experience of surprise, fascination, and discovery. Therefore, the keywords are transformability, the spirit of place, and activation.
