City in transition: Podgorica, Europe's youngest capital city

摘要

Podgorica,known as the "city under the mountain," rests at the intersection of five rivers and is Europe's youngest capital.Over a 2000-year-long history,Podgorica has experienced turbulence.The city has suffered conquests,wars,nearly complete destruction in WWII,associated with war-related conflicts in the 1990s,and gained its independence at the beginning of the 21st century.Today,Podgorica is a vibrant,dynamic,and rapidly growing city,with current developments that reflect the consequences of post-socialist economic,institutional,social,and cultural transition.In this case study,the development of the built environment of Podgorica is presented in six stages:Roman,Ottoman,Principality of Montenegro and Kingdom of Yugoslavia,socialist,transitional,and contemporary.The study shows the influence of each period in the development of the city and highlights two major challenges of present-day architecture,that is,growing into a modern-day metropolis and the challenge of juxtaposing contemporary Podgorica with Titograd and old Podgorica.