IVA MARČETIĆ /// The Right to the City: Zagreb’s Spatial Politics

This conversation with Iva Marčetić is one of two recorded in Zagreb at the end of the Western Balkans series. Throughout this discussion, we talk about Iva’s engagement as a political activist in relation to her architectural training. Her main involvement is done through the Zagreb-based organization “The Right to the City,” that she describes through various struggles against the rampant privatization of the city. We conclude the conversation by evoking her participation to the anti-fascist movement, and its architectural implications.

Iva Marčetić holds a Master degree in architecture from Architectural school, University of Zagreb. She has been a part of architectural activist group Pulska grupa that for years fought privatization and devastation city of Pula’s coastline. As a member of Right to the city organization from Zagreb she has been involved in many campaigns defending public and common goods and resources such as a successful campaign against privatization of national highway infrastructure. She regularly collaborates with activist groups from Serbia such as the Smarter building initiative from Belgrade that is actively working around the housing issue and devising methods for alternative housing production. She has for years worked on the housing issue in countries of ex-Yugoslavia and possibility of alternatives in the current system. As part of Right to the city agenda she works on campaigns and organizes workshops and research activities as well as collaboration between independent cultural organizations and the unions. She is regularly collaborating with Organization for worker’s rights and democratization from Zagreb. As of late she is part of the coordinating team of the Welcome initiative comprised of many civil society organizations as well as grassroots activists working on the direct help for refugees as well as activist and political actions concerning the humanitarian crises. She lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia.

WEBSITE:

– http://monoskop.org/Right_to_the_City_Zagreb