Sustainable Return to Srebrenica
A self-initiated project, which proposes the Sustainable Return process in B&H is a catalyst for urban renewal. 1 million people remain displaced in B&H since the 90's war, resulting in low human resources and inadequate temporary settlements in rural towns. The Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR) are building around 10,000 returnee houses in the Srebrenica region, however a lack of infrastructure for communities and businesses is causing over 50% unemployment and hindering reconciliation. This project brings together a circle of partners, including an MHRR minister, NGO 'Sustainable Return', a local mayor, the UNDP, residents, refugees and local architects to develop a pilot project and Manual for Sustainable Return in BiH. Towns Srebrenica, Bratunac and Milici are reconnected in ‘Regional Centre for Trade, Technology and Vocational Education 2020’, our masterplan for community workshops, town centre renewal and a distribution centre. Work involved field visits, public consultations, hand-drawing memory maps with displaced persons to identify pre, during and post-war structures for renewal and an interactive noticeboard of the masterlpan, made of local cork and metal, to facilitate participative planning workshops
TYPE \ Place-Making / Masterplanning / Urbanism, live research project YEAR \ 2011 LOCATION \ Srebrenica, Bratunac, Milici, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) STATUS \ Concept Proposal, ongoing AWARDS \ Awarded RSA Resourceful Architect runner up prize, exhibited, published COLLABORATORS \ Prof. Robert Mull, Prof. Peter Carl, Catrina Beevor, Free-Unit, CASS Projects PUBLICATIONS \ The Architects’ Journal, BHCICOP ‘Meaning of Place’ Conference Publication, BD Online