In the second half of the 20th century, the industrialisation and deagrarization of Bosnia and Herzegovina had a strong impact on the dynamics of urban development and economic growth of the post-war Sarajevo, which intensified immigration from its relatively underdeveloped regional environment. This was accompanied by accelerated housing construction, and it encouraged the spatial expansion of the city. Planning guidelines were set by the city administration and were based on the long-term development plans. They identified the disposition of urban functions necessary for housing, work, recreation and traffic, and the policy of building multi-residential buildings was aimed general social interest. At the same time, the planning activities neglected the actual socio-economic status of immigrants who had lesser opportunities for housing through the social distribution system of apartments, began the process of self-organized unregulated settlement construction with single-family houses on the city's slopes. This began an era of two parallel but controversial actions within town space: planned and unregulated housing construction. Spontaneous possession of the city's territory with unregulated construction today is characterised by: complex property-legal relations, high degree of construction, absence of public space, pedestrian communications and service functions, low quality of the infrastructure network, and that settlements are formed on unstable terrains and on active landslides. Since the consequences of the complexity of the situation cannot be addressed through radical urban transformation, we see an alternative in the idea of partial spatial interventions – transformation by method of sanation. Starting with the thesis that construction is always deeply connected to society's understanding of the function of space and the place of man in it, we have opened up a central question, and searching for answers is the basic goal of this paper: Is it possible to solve problems accumulated by decades within Sarajevo's unregulated residential settlements through means of transformation by method of sanation? Or: Can partial spatial interventions improve the overall quality of individual and social life? For the purpose of finding answers, we conducted an analysis of the causes of the formation and genesis of these settlements, as well as a series of problems produced by the accumulation of separate spatial interventions without elementary professional guidance. The results of this analysis showed that the answer to the questions asked can be positive, by establishing a critical relationship with the potential of the space of specific settlement sites, in terms of the degree of functional usability, correlation with utilities and user interactions with the environments they inhabit. We have concluded that it is precisely the potential of individual sites, by logically applying the transformation by method of sanation, will enable dual achievement – the merging the solution within the technical and structural aspect of potential landslides with the articulation of the public on new pedestrian communications. Also, it has been shown that the application of this method enables the typification of technical solutions, functions, contents, activities, urban design, and even the public itself. And this means that the conclusions on the characteristics of individual Sarajevo unregulated residential settlements, endangered by landslides, can offer general guidelines for design concepts, within them, an overall improvement of individual and social life.

The transitional process from a socialist into a capitalist societal system, started at the end of the twentieth century in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the related transformation of the public into private land ownership, with the neglect and lack of adequate development programs and public opinion, produce today the urban-architectural and, in general, identity crisis. Under the guise of overall well-being, but mostly in the service of short-term economic profit, attractive urban spaces are occupied, the existing physical structure is uncontrollably removed and new construction is carried out, almost as a rule, in disregard for the needs and interests of society/citizens. Transformations of urban space, generated by the vibrations of a transitional society, are most evident in the capital, Sarajevo. The building process is basically a multiplication of residential settlements, the construction of which is carried out on a case-by-case basis, with considerable pressure from investors, and with the decisions made within closed, narrow interest circles and (often) without consulting the profession/urban planners and the public/citizens. In such an environment, the public domain loses its primacy over the private, which is manifested in the alienation of people and the loss of their identification with the place. Such residential settlements are deprived of central functions in the field of social infrastructure and in the manner of “tried and tested” repetitive urban-architectural models, which together negatively affect the quality of individual and social life. In other words, residential settlements without an identity are created. Although they have formal names, these settlements are nameless. They are no places. Architecture and building are always deeply connected with the ideological framework of a particular society, which means that the understanding of the function of space and the place of man in it, we have opened a central question, as the main goal of this paper: Is it really true that the construction of Sarajevo’s new settlements cannot be adapted to anything other than current urban policy? Or else: Is their fate such that they will be permanently determined by the attribute of a settlement without a name? For the purpose of finding the answer, of possible ways of overcoming the crisis or at least mitigating its effects, we conducted a comparative analysis of housing planning in a socialist societal system with current transition planning. The results of this analysis have shown that the new urban policy is intrinsic and creates new articulations of urban space without spatial identity, essentially a name. We have concluded that a crucial moment has arisen in which it is necessary to stop anarchic decision-making on (sporadic) transformations of the city space and to establish a system of compliance with procedures in designing and adopting programs that allocate new necessary functions within the existing physical structures. As urban decisions are currently being made (mostly) outside the realm of the public/citizens, i.e. in closed circles and with the pressures of private investment, the need to change such practices is evident. This is only possible through dialogue, because when all those interested in the decision-making process are involved in the conversation, then change will happen. Only then will we be able to talk about urban politics dedicated to creating an environment in which a person, is placed in the centre of the building process, and where one is given the opportunity to personalize the space one inhabits, to identify with and name it – make it its own, personal and intimate.

Spatial typologies in urbanism and architecture within the City of Sarajevo are inherently complex and differentiated. Throughout the history of the city, the architectural and urban typologies have been evolving and adapting to new circumstances, but in several historical periods, the changes of typologies have been radical. From the fifteenth century, Sarajevo was organized by the oriental ottoman typological scheme that shaped the city for several centuries: organic forms, human and intimate scale, commercial and residential areas quite strictly separated. During the nineteenth century, a central-European urban and architectural typology dominated and morphed the city in a radical new way. Introduction of the larger scale buildings organized in blocks, with mixed functions. The usual typological transformation was taken over by a process of replacement with completely new forms, yet the city seemed to inherently adapt to these new conditions owning this new typology. Introduction of modernist typologies within the realm of the city was also a radical break from the past - functionalist dispersed buildings with open green areas again became a logical part of the city. The new transitional period has brought about new challenges and generated buildings (commercial and residential) with questionable typologies. Current tendencies are lacking in many parameters that define a certain typology - a coherent idea and spatial logic. Can one city inherently possess the ability to adapt and transform such different variations of typologies and claim authenticity? Is there a typology most suited to this place? Ever since the typological research was introduced to architectural theory by De Quincy in 1825, there was the notion of origins of typology, transformation and novelty/innovation. This paper will conduct a research of historical and current spatial typologies (architectural and urban schemes), in order to answer the question is the typology inherent, born out of a certain place or does the place affect, change the typology? The research would be about the correlation between a city (Sarajevo), the capacity of space and relevant parameters of typologies (scale, forms, functions, adaptation).

Social turbulences and discontinuities of the 20th century, have as always reflected upon scientific and creative achievements, most visible in changes in architectural thought and relation to space. First half of the 20th century was shaped by the modernist movement, represented through technical and technological achievements of building into economy, social context and culture giving an overall sense of units and spirt of urbanism and architecture of the modern era. In architecture there is a special place for the architect of the new era Le Corbusier whose narrative shaped and dominated the urban and architectural medium. Through research one can draw an analogy conceived by Le Corbusier between a typical serial housing unit and his functionalist urban and regional planning. He was at the same time praised and despised, but has definitely shaped the urban landscape as we know it today. Through research into his essence and paradigms and contribution, this paper aims to reflect his urban design process that originated in multiplication and standardization of single units (family or collective) combined with his visions for an expanding cityscape.

The Industrial revolution has had a significant impact on the formation of social and spatial circumstances of our present day life. In the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina intense industrialization in the 19th century, brought by Austro-Hungarian Empire, shaped the urban morphology of cities, countryside and lifestyle. The most visible changes were connected to railroad, industrial coal and wood processing complexes, but one that will bring about most of the changes and still have an impact is related to the use of water, from earliest times in form of dams and watermills (in case of Sarajevo at the centre of historic core), and in industrialization hydro and steam power stations. The production of electricity caused changes in landscape due to artificial lakes, light up the cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and introduced the early form of public transport by tram that still shapes the urban morphology of Sarajevo. Water is a basic subject matter of many analyses, and it is considered a principal existential and vital generator of the formation, sustainability and transformation of different types of cities. The legacy has maintained until today since one of the major industries and export is the electric power. Several of these early plants are located in current urban areas, neglected and unused. It will be necessary to find adequate restoration and revitalization methods that will deal with the preservation of the physical aspects, and its immeasurable legacy not manifested only in these historic buildings but as a symbol as Tesla said at the speech at the opening ceremony of Niagara Falls Plant “(…) a true monument of enlightenment and peace (…)”. Industrial complexes and its architecture are a specific form of heritage. One can commonly associate heritage with aesthetically pleasing buildings, but industrial heritage is more ambiguous - in some instances it is seen as powerful creative force but partly disruptive or destructive at the same time. The restoration process needs to be interactive, programmatic and progressive in order to represent the spirit of innovation and progress brought to them. This paper was presented during the 2nd International Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Legal Issues, organized in October 2015 by ICOMOS Slovenia with the support of the Council of Europe, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural heritage in Slovenia, the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and TICCIH Slovenia.