Novi Sad civic platform seeks referendum on waterfront project

The civic platform ‘100% Sad.’ has submitted an initiative to the Novi Sad City Administration to verify a popular initiative for a binding local referendum. The goal is to allow citizens to decide whether the General Regulation Plan for the ‘Novi Sad na vodi’ (Novi Sad on Water) project should remain in effect.

If the City Assembly verifies the proposal, the next step will be collecting signatures from 10% of Novi Sad’s total voters to officially call the referendum. Nataša Prohaska Vanović of the platform stated that the initiative aims to ensure citizens, rather than just investors, decide on the development of the Danube waterfront, arguing the current plan contradicts existing urban regulations by converting recreational space into residential zones.

In response to the initiative, Bojan Panaotović, Director of the Cultural Center of Novi Sad, provided a historical perspective. He argued that urban expansion often requires transforming natural landscapes, drawing parallels between the current project and the development of the Liman neighborhood in the 1960s, which was built on former wetlands and marshes.