In Serbia, a Former Military Base Finds a New Role

Piles of prefabricated concrete panels are stacked neatly on a construction site in this small city of about 260,000 in southern Serbia. A handful of cranes move the pieces up and down, back and forth. Assembling apartment units looks as easy as playing with Lego blocks and as graceful as synchronized dancing.

This site is a former military base, Bubanjski Heroji, that dates to the Ottoman Empire. It was decommissioned years ago and, until recently, was sitting empty. The site, in the central part of Nis, is now bustling with activity as the former army barracks is being transformed into a new housing and commercial center, spread over 37 acres.