MZ Bobare Drinčići Blaževci arranged a picnic site on the Usora river bank

An area with nowhere to go

In the settlements of Bobare, Drinčići, and Blaževci, the Usora river was always there, but a bank one could descend to and arranged for a stay did not exist. Tying a rope to a branch, sitting on a stone, avoiding mosquitoes and hoping that a child does not trip in the bush - that was the picture of the whole area when people wanted to get out of the house.

The local community Bobare Drinčići Blaževci stood behind a simple question: why would we not have our own place on the bank? Not something large, not a tourist brand, but 1,500 m² of space where local residents could finally rest without travelling to another municipality.

What was specifically done

The project was divided into phases. The first phase covered earth and preparatory works on a 1,500 m² area on the Usora bank:

• Vegetation was cleared - the space was overgrown before the project
• The ground was levelled - a foundation for future surfaces and content
• An area for volleyball and small football was arranged - the two most requested sport activities of the local population
• Walking paths were laid - so the space was passable and safe regardless of the season
• Benches were installed - basic content for rest and gatherings
• Access to the Usora river bank was cleared - so bathing was possible again, especially for children

In the second phase the creation of surfaces was planned - permanent sports grounds and other infrastructural elements that depended on the completion of preparatory earth works.

Who the project reached

The picnic site was conceived as a space for all ages from the local community and wider:

• Adults - for rest, gatherings, walks along the river
• Children - for bathing and outdoor activities, without the need to travel to other municipalities
• Youth - for recreational sport (volleyball, small football), gatherings within the local community
• Families - one place where a Sunday or a summer afternoon can be spent without organising a trip

The fact that such a type of picnic site did not exist in the immediate or wider surroundings means that the project does not compete with anything, it filled a gap that had been felt for years.

Readiness and approach

The application was realistic and did not try to be something it was not. The documents explicitly stated that the first phase had no existing facilities and that project documentation was not required.

This was an honest statement and makes complete sense for an intervention of this kind - earth works and clearing do not require a main project, a building permit, or architectural documentation. They require will, labour, and machinery. Project and technical documentation becomes relevant only when, in the second phase, the installation of permanent objects begins.

How it looks today

After realisation, the documentation photographs showed:

• An arranged area by the Usora river, with a wooden pavilion as the main content
• Steps and access to the bank - one can safely descend to the water
• A space that appears usable, passable, open, ready to receive visitors

The message of the project

Sometimes it is hardest to explain what a local community is for. A project of this kind provides the answer: a local community serves to give an area something it did not have before - a place where one can sit, play, bathe, spend an afternoon with family.

Without big words, without textbook marketing, simply put - 1,500 m² that were previously just grass are a picnic site today. That is the difference between a passive and an active neighbourhood.