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Echoes of Destruction: Urbicide in the Heart of Prishtina
Blerta S. Krasniqi
Keywords: urbicide, Pristina, old town Pristina, war, architecture, loss of identity, erosion of memory, urban destruction.
Categories: Visual Arts, Architecture and Design
DOI: 10.17160/josha.13.2.1115
Languages: English
This case study aims to trace urbicide in Kosovo, specifically in the historical core of Prishtina during and after Yugoslavia. During this span, Prishtina goes through an era of transition not only in governance but also in architecture. The creation of a socialist, modern city based on Yugoslav principles also meant the demolition of the past through the destruction of Albanian architectural heritage and, during the war, the destruction of roots. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this research aims to illuminate the complications of urbicide in the heart of Prishtina and its implications for the present and future of the city. But was urbicide achieved? How did Prishtina go through different stages of urban planning to form what it is today, and why was the historical zone used for modernisation? Strategies were used not only as a tool of fear but also to establish Serbian control over the territory, by not adhering to urban plans and creating a half-baked Prishtina. The study begins by providing an overview of the phenomenon of urbicide, followed by an analysis of historical interpretations of urbicide in Kosovo caused by the Albanian-Serbian conflict. Then, the identification of parallels and overlaps with other countries of the former Yugoslavia that also suffered the same fate. All this centers on the capital, the tracking of urbicide through quantitative analysis along waves of urban development and how this affected Prishtina’s identity. As a result, it aspired to prove urbicide in Prishtina during the Yugoslav period, through what is left behind, collective memory, documents or photographs to achieve the complete picture of what happened to Prishtina, the genesis of its identity, and how conflicts and politics affected the Prishtina dream. As a final result, an alternative reality will be created. If urbicide did not happen, what kind of Prishtina would we have?