When the survey reveals what it did not intend

The survey that was just conducted by the organization Belgrade in the Movement about the Old Sava Bridge showed, in addition to the answer to the researched question, another one that was not searched for, and which, it can be said, is more important.

This April and May, the Belgrade on the Move organization conducted a survey, the question of which was: do you support the relocation of the Old Sava Bridge to the Lido, assuming that the bridge becomes a pedestrian-cycling area, and that the Great War Island remains intact as a protected natural entity.

The need for democracy

11.773 citizens participated in the survey. The majority was in favor of moving the bridge to the Lido - 77 percent of them, 25% were against it, while 4% stated that there was not enough information to take a position.

However, a more important result than this speaks of the citizens of Belgrade: it turns out that they are very willing to participate in the creation of the City and in deciding on issues related to the City, and based on their answers, it can be concluded that they rightly feel called to do so, and capable.

And this need for democracy is, say Belgrade in Movement, the most important conclusion of this survey.

Because "citizens are very interested in the future of their city, but they don't have the opportunity to ask about important decisions. In the last decade, Belgrade has turned into a city whose future is drawn with markers on PowerPoint presentations, often in architectural bureaus far from Serbia, and even further from the citizens' opinions. In this process, the public discussion has become a formality, and the survey has become a synonym for a PR instrument," say the organization.

Because of this need to decide for themselves about their city, the citizens willingly agreed to participate in this survey, so Belgrade in motion assesses that this survey, although it has no legal weight, has social, and why not, political significance.

"It is certainly an indication of the need for urbanism not to be perceived as a big picture, but as a set of small decisions made by the residents of Belgrade."

Don't touch us Great War Island

Then, they state that citizens who are "for" are not unconditionally "for", which speaks of their rational and comprehensive perception of the problem.

"Their support comes with a clear request that Veliko Ratno ostrvo should not be touched. They are expressly against the bridge turning Veliko Ratno ostrvo into another concrete platform for cafes, concert stages and investor fantasies, but that the bridge should be subordinated to nature and people who want to walk, ride a bike, and look at the river without feeling like the backdrop in a commercial," says this organization.

They assess that "Veliko Ratno ostrvo has been under an invisible but constant siege for years. Whether we are talking about the expansion of infrastructure, tourism projects or the activation of space, there is always the same fear: that the island will disappear in silence, millimeter by millimeter, like Ada Huja, like Makiško polje, like many other places that once had an identity, but today only have a board with a QR code and a visualization of the future. That is why it is no coincidence that the island has become a red line for the people of Belgrade: 'the bridge yes - but no at the cost of nature'. This is neither romanticism nor ecological fanaticism, but an articulated civic and rational concern.

What next?

They expect that "the city authorities will respect the voice of the citizens and guarantee the protection of the Great War Island". They hope that this survey will "start a conversation - not only about the Old Sava Bridge, but also about decision-making mechanisms, about who has the right to decide on the space we all share."

"Because the city is not just a collection of streets, bridges and squares - the city is a community. A

a community without a voice is nothing more than a market," says the Belgrade in Movement organization.