mahala

1. colloq. regional neighbourhood; quarter
   Cela mahala već zna da se razvode. — The whole neighbourhood already knows they're getting divorced.
   Odrastao sam u ovoj mahali. — I grew up in this neighbourhood.
2. colloq. (often of Roma settlements) slum; poor quarter; ghetto
   Na kraju grada je romska mahala bez struje. — At the edge of town there's a Roma quarter with no electricity.

In southern Serbia and Bosnia the word neutrally denotes a part of a town or village; elsewhere in Serbia it more often sounds dismissive, especially of poor and Roma settlements — the force depends on context.