Bureau Savamala Belgrade

methods should supplement these analyses. In contrast to gentrification processes,
upgrading is well suited to image-based research methods. Because upgrades can be
seen as forerunners to gentrification—or, at least, there exists a causal relationship
between the two—analyzing upgrades can contribute to a better understanding not
only of gentrification but also of a quarter’s whole development path. Therefore, both
upgrading scenarios and gentrification processes played an important role in Bureau
Savamala’s work.
Six Research Areas
The following six research areas were established in order to identify and capture the
neighborhood’s changes on as many levels as possible:
1. Urban Incubator Projects
The Urban Incubator projects were evaluated via interviews and surveys of the project
leaders and participants about their goals, methods, and impact. In addition to verbal
surveys, a PDF questionnaire was sent to all project leaders.
2. Savamala Residents
Interviews: Standardized interviews were conducted with Savamala residents and
visitors, as well as with those who work in the area. A series of surveys were conducted
in May and October 2013, as well as in July and August 2014. The 2013 surveys
were carried out as interviews while the concluding surveys in 2014 were printed out
and distributed in Savamala in the form of questionnaires.
Appeal Profile: The surveys included a so-called appeal profile that gauged the appeal
the area held for respondents by asking them to express their feelings about
the quarter with a list of adjectives.
Substitutional Photo Inquiry: A substitutional photo inquiry of Savamala residents
accompanied the interviews and surveys. The results were presented as a
street exhibit in front of Bureau Savamala on 19 July 2013; they were also published
in the magazine Kamenzind. 8
Nightwatch: On 19 June 2013, a so-called nightwatch took place; assessing the
area’s expanding nightlife scene, changes were tracked from the afternoon long
into the night.
3. Experts
The specialists who made their expertise available to project members included city
planners and architects, as well as the head of the Savski Venac district administration.