The Zagreb Fair as a Generator of New Zagreb’s Planning

Abstract

This article explores the planning of New Zagreb in former Yugoslavia. Employing oral history interviews and archival research, it focuses on the meeting between President Tito and Zagreb's Mayor Većeslav Holjevac (1952–1963), concerning the relocation of Zagreb Fair south of the Sava river, a decision that ultimately generated New Zagreb's development. Using this story of post-World War II urban policy and planning in Zagreb, I argue that in a context where “the political” is not encompassed by “politics,” in Mouffe's sense, such as in 1950s Yugoslavia, favorable conditions for informal urban practices develop, which opens the way for “diffuse” planning.