The paper describes the connection between the concept of urban identity and the process of integrated strategic planning for the sustainable urban development of small and medium-sized cities in Serbia, with particular emphasis on integrated territories that encompass multiple units of local self-government. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate how urban identity can be operationalized and incorporated into the processes of defining action directions and formulating project ideas within development strategies. The research is based on the application of a methodological framework developed in the Study of the Unified Identity of Urban Areas within the Development Strategy of the Urban Area of the City of Užice and the municipalities of Bajina Bašta, Čajetina, Priboj, and Požega. The analytical-synthetic approach connects identity elements with aspects of sustainable development and the process of defining project ideas. The results of the paper show that it is possible to establish an operational model that enables the translation of the concept of urban identity into concrete strategic directions and project initiatives, thereby contributing to balanced territorial development and strengthening the cohesion of integrated urban areas.
Urban governance initiatives increasingly reflect cities’ engagement with external partners, resources, knowledge, and expertise to address challenges in urban development. In the context of post-socialist, EU candidate countries such as Serbia, these initiatives are most often introduced through international cooperation and EU-funded programmes, and are relatively pioneering within the planning and governance framework. This paper presents a qualitative case study of an urban governance initiative for the revitalisation of a degraded urban area in the city of Šabac, developed within the framework of the Interreg Danube project New Governance for New Spaces (NONA). The research is conducted within the framework of local urban experimentation and examines institutional conditions, local partnerships, and participatory methods to understand how governance initiatives can foster organisational change in planning and participation. The findings indicate that organisational change is supported at the macro-, meso- and micro- levels, and point to their interdependencies. Key moments that enable change are occurring at the intersection of procedural and institutional arrangements, resource availability, and individual openness and learning. Systemic constraints of the transitional urban governance and planning that limit more substantive effects of governance initiatives are highlighted. Governance initiatives in urban contexts provide a framework for experimentation, innovation, and learning; Transformative effects of governance initiatives require consideration of partnership forms and their connection to local culture of practice; Organisational change in planning is influenced by institutionalised logics and normative frameworks, participation approaches, methods, and tools, as well as individual participants’ engagement attitudes. Policy and practice recommendations: Under conditions of the gradual withdrawal of state support, urban governance has an important role in fostering sharing, communication, and coordination among diverse actors towards strengthening cities’ absorption capacities. Tools, settings, and learning from governance initiatives should be systematically capitalised in formal planning policy and practice. A shift in professional attitudes is usually experiential, practice-based and evolving process, rather than abrupt transformation.
This paper presents the results of a comparative GIS analysis conducted within the preparation of multiple planning documents at different hierarchical levels, including spatial plans for special-purpose areas (Valjevo–Ljig transmission line and Avala-Kosmaj area), the Spatial Plan of the City of Požarevac, and the Strategy for the Development of the Urban Area of Užice and its surrounding municipalities. The research focuses on assessing the current state of municipal infrastructure, with particular emphasis on waste management and the spatial distribution of illegal dumpsites. The analysis integrates multiple data sources, including GIS and tabular datasets from the Environmental Protection Agency, open data, and previously mapped KMZ layers. Significant spatial, temporal, and content discrepancies were identified, indicating the limited reliability of individual data sources. Through data integration and spatial overlay analysis, a more accurate identification of illegal dumpsites was achieved. The results supported the definition of potential recycling yard locations, incorporating socio-spatial factors, and highlight the importance of integrated geospatial data management in waste management planning.
Communities located in the vicinity of mining operations may benefit economically from mining activities; however, they are also exposed to significant environmental and social impacts. Consequently, protests against the exploitation of mineral resources have become increasingly frequent in recent decades. One of the key reasons is the insufficient involvement of local communities in planning the development of their territories. To explore this issue in greater depth, several activities were conducted during the first two years of the MINIPART project “Enhancing Participation in Spatial Planning for Mining Regions” (grant #7598, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia). Following an analysis of international and national experiences, a survey was conducted among 300 residents of the Bor–Majdanpek mining region to assessing citizens’ attitudes and their level of interest in participating in spatial planning processes. In addition, interviews were carried out with key stakeholders—including representatives of ministries, local governments, public institutions, the mining sector, and civil society—in order to identify criteria influencing the selection of participation methods, assess their applicability, and evaluate the readiness for introducing innovative approaches. Furthermore, a focus group workshop was organized in Bor, where representatives of vulnerable groups—youth, elderly people, women, persons with disabilities, rural residents, and ethnic minorities—discussed and tested various participation methods, ranging from traditional approaches (written comments) to more contemporary tools (online surveys and e-platforms). The research highlights two key aspects essential for improving public participation. First, administrative and financial support should be provided to institutions to enable them to go beyond the legally required minimum and implement additional, modern participation methods better adapted to local conditions. Second, further efforts are needed to encourage citizens to actively engage in decision-making processes, rebuild trust in institutions, and to provide additional support throughout the entire participation process, particularly for vulnerable groups
Planning large-scale solar power plants – as well as other major renewable energy projects such as wind farms – cannot in itself be taken as a symbol of sustainable development without a comprehensive analysis of the manner in which such projects are conceived. Approaching the implementation of large solar power plants solely through their indisputable contribution to reducing the carbon footprint leads into a paradigm of sustainability self-evidence, even though their realisation may contradict the fundamental principles and tenets of sustainable development. Identifying an optimal approach to planning large solar power plants must therefore serve as a precondition for ensuring that their implementation is grounded in the fulfilment of these core principles of sustainability. In this context, assessing the complex interactions between planned projects and the diverse spatial potentials and constraints is both significant and indispensable, as it provides the basis for selecting an optimal site – a foundational prerequisite for an objectively sustainable realisation of such projects. This paper is dedicated precisely to underscoring the importance of sustainable planning, with particular emphasis on the critical role of optimal site selection for large solar power plants. It presents a methodological framework for the development of such projects grounded in spatial analyses. The results highlight the importance of the initial project-development phase, specifically the selection of an optimal location for its implementation. Through this approach, the planning of large solar power plants is extracted from the realm of the sustainability paradigm and situated within the tangible context of sustainable development.
