Who Has the Right to Decide? Pula and the Problem of Demilitarized Urban Zone

Abstract

In 2007, the Croatian army decided to close its military base on the Muzil peninsula, which is a part of the city of Pula. Muzil hosts about 20 percent of the city; moreover, it is located in a very attractive area with the view on the seaside and the city’s historical center. After the city received the area, negotiations began to decide about the future of the demilitarized land. This paper discusses the attitudes of two main actors of the public debate: the city council supported by the central authorities of Croatia and a nongovernmental organization established by a number of residents of Pula. The former wanted to transform the demilitarized area intoan elite tourist resort, while the latter proposed opening the peninsula to residents to rei ntegrate the postmilitary area with the city. The two attitudes are related to different ideas of usefulness and the city as a community of residents. The right to space reflects the fundamental question of participation in the public debate. Moreover, Pula can be seen as an example of the city, where extensive and uncontrolled development of tourism violates the interests of the local community.

Heritage of Liminality: Remnants of the Military in the Istrian City of Pula in the Aftermath of Yugoslav Socialism

“…Two largest areas that significantly defined Pula's liminal urbanity -the Uljanik shipyard and the vast green area of the Muzil peninsula -still remain closed to the public and their status is unresolved. At Muzil, this has been the case since 2007, when the Croatian military decided to close the base (Falski, 2019). The same is true for the large area of the Uljanik shipyard, stretching along the city's waterfront; Uljanik's last employee was dismissed from his job in 2019.…”

“…For most of them, the period of Yugoslav socialism was characterized by the large-scale presence of the military in the urban space, which is also apparent on city maps. 4 Following the global trend of demilitarization and limiting military infrastructure, in all these "military cities" the post-socialist period is characterized by a radical reduction of the city space occupied by the military: the barracks have been abandoned, taken over by alternative culture, or repurposed and redesigned to fit the needs of new institutions (Falski, 2019;Hodges, 2019;Kardov et al, 2014;Mitrović, 2016). The case of Pula as a model Yugoslav "military city" offers an insight into processes of militarization of urban space in the second half of the twentieth century that has not been intrinsically connected to the ideas of killing, war and violence, and is thus complementary to a large body of research discussing (de)militarization in relation to violence and its lingering aftereffects (Bickford, 2013;Lutz, 2002;MacLeish, 2013).…”

“…The same is true for the large area of the Uljanik shipyard, stretching along the city's waterfront; Uljanik's last employee was dismissed from his job in 2019. These empty, large, centrally located areas and buildings are subject to different, and contentious, visions of urban planning, and a site of conflict between the ongoing touristification of Croatia, characterized by "uncontrolled development of tourism," and the interests of the local community, which can be subsumed under the notion of "the right to the city" (Falski, 2019).…”