BROWNFIELDS MEETING HELD IN NOVI SAD

Head of the Local Economic Development Office prof. Marijana Dukić Mijatović, PhD, together with the heads of the City administrations for Culture and Economy as well as representatives of public utility companies attended the meeting with the Dutch architect Gabriel Raúl Peña, an expert in the revitalization of brownfield sites, which was held in the City Hall. The meeting was also attended by NALED representatives.

The brownfield sites have the potential to be revitalized and thereby contribute to the local economic development, which was the main subject matter of the meeting. Essentially, the concept of brownfield investments in the broadest sense means the revival of the economic facilities, abandoned industrial buildings and sites where economic activity has been suspended or is carried out with the use of obsolete and environmentally unacceptable technologies.

- The socioeconomic situation in our country and the region, has led to a general awareness of the need for revitalization of the existing economic potentials by attracting investors in the form of brownfield investments. The advantage of investing in existing economic capacities is reflected in the fact that local self-governments are provided with the opportunities for redevelopment through recovery of economic activities in old business areas and with solutions of social problems through new employment and public revenues increase. - Prof. Marijana Dukic Mijatovic, PhD, said.

Manager of the Public Company “City Planning" Dušan Miladinović added that this method provides the possibility to reduce the amount of investment costs due to the fact that the existing brownfield sites usually already are with the existing energy, road and other infrastructure, emphasizing that the City of Novi Sad has two attractive brownfield sites such are  the Chinese Quarter and the Czech warehouse.

19^th March 2015