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This paper considers the influence of different cultural models on the shaping of built environment forms in Serbian cities during certain periods in history which are characterized by specific political and social circumstances. In addition to the theoretical framing of current approaches to cultural models and multicultural reality in a broader sense, the research focuses on the: 1) review of historical, political and social background of the phenomenon of cultural models and multicultural realities in Serbia, 2) influence of different cultural models on the shaping of built environment forms in Serbia’s cities and settlements through chosen examples from the past and present.

The development of the stormwater management strategies, e.g., low-impact development (LID), water-sensitive urban design (WSUD), and sustainable drainage solutions (SUDS), was initiated in the mid-1980s as a set of engineering approaches and technologies to reduce the harmful effects of stormwater. Over time, all of them evolved in the holistic, multidisciplinary approaches and, today, they are increasingly viewed and implemented under the umbrella term "Nature-based Solutions" (NbS). The technical elements and measures of these NbS represent various technical solutions, implemented i.a., according to the suitability of the site to achieve their maximum efficiency. Currently, there are no standards or procedures for the application of NbS technologies in Serbia. To overpass this and encourage implementation, we carried out preliminary assessment of NbS elements suitability for application in eight urban settlements in the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. The assessment is based on publicly available data and performed according to the existing recommendations in the field of spatial planning and rainwater management for WSUD. The analyses were conducted by GIS tools that involved spatial analyses of various terrain characteristics and provided an insight into the criteria, i.e., constraints that are key to the placement of various technical elements, including bioretention, rain garden, and permeable pavement. Research findings point out that creation of the thematic maps with area suitability ratings for individual NbS stormwater elements might represent a good starting point for further investigation, planning, and design. The proposed framework for preliminary assessment is potentially useful for the countries and regions without regulations in the field of NbS for stormwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers how unstructured extensive housing upgrading has influenced social relations within fully upgraded multi-story housing areas during post-socialist urban transformations in the city of Nis. Two perspectives were adopted in the analysis: the evaluation of the planning and management of the upgrading process, and changes in the social relation in respect to changes in the built environment and social structure within the neighborhood after upgrading. The investigation is based on a triangulation approach relying on interviews, policy and regulation reviews, and observations. The research was carried out as a case study, analyzing the upgrading process at the city level but elaborating its effects on the example of the neighborhood of Stara Zeleznicka Kolonija (SZK). The research suggests a regressive approach to the planning of the upgrading process with critical implications both for community life in the fully regenerated neighborhoods, and the quality of the built environment. The research also indicates that within an inconsistent legislative environment, market-driven housing regeneration processes may lead to generic development with the denial of local social and physical specificities.

Goal of this paper is to point to the ambivalent influence of transition process on the urban environments. The phenomenon of "transition" is defined as complex, multilayered process followed by new market and social principles. By observing the chronological order of changes which occurred in the city morphology, it gives recommendations for overcoming the city center identity crisis as the most significant pubic city space. Through definition and reconsideration of spatial and functional structure of the city center in the context of modern influences of the transition process, this paper emphasizes the elements which could be input in a direct or indirect way into the future strategies and plans. Accordingly, it proposes a set of measures for possible redefinition of the existing concept of the city centers and its adaptation to the demands of the time ahead.

The paper treats the potential of incorporation of the rural development into the planning framework of regulation of a more uniform regional development. The initial assumption is that the regional, „medium“ level of management is necessary for a legitimate management of public business and that the problems of development of rural areas can be adequately regulated within the regional development policy through an integrated planning approach starting from the paradigm of sustainable development. The basic assumption, worked out in detail in the paper, is that the activities related to the rural development are operationally defined and realized in the framework of the regional policy, given that the rural areas are one of the resources of the given region, its potential or limitation, and thus actively participate in the process of development of a region and in reactivation of its developmental potentials.

The increasing interest in a strategic approach to space arrangement at all levels, and particularly on the intra and interregional level, as well as the changes in the area of spatial and regional planning, are some of the basic characteristics of theoretical and practical activities and efforts undertaken and realized in the field of organization and arrangement of space in the European Union during recent decades. Strategic planning gained importance in the framework of those changes, particularly owing to the growth of the environmental complex and sustainable growth planning, but also because of the need for a higher security of markets and states. Strategic spatial planning can be defined as a quite diverse planning activity. It is considered that 'new' strategic planning will not represent a return to comprehensive planning, but will rather be a combination of traditional and new approaches to planning of sustainable development where an integrative role will be progressively assumed by spatial and regional plans and programs. Apart from a review of the development of strategic planning, this paper considers the importance and role of strategic planning as a mechanism of regional development and 'new' regional politics, based on the contemporary development of critical thinking and practical experiences in the European Union.

The problem researched in this paper refers to the possibilities of applications of the rural development programs in the framework of the regional development programs and regional policy. Namely, the rural areas are one of resources of a given region, its potential or limitation, and therefore actively participate in the process of endogen development of the region, and the reactivation of its developmental potential. The village restoration program is thus considered a plan element, of the integrated approach to the spatial planning, defined at a national and operationalized at a regional and a local level as a means of more regular and endogenously based regional and rural development. .

The paper gives an analysis of the functional and size typology of the village settlements in the city of Niš territory. It also presents the review of the development and demographic tendencies of the spatial distribution of the village settlements, as well as the categorization of the village settlements in the city of Niš territory. The paper was done in the framework of the scientific and research project "Sustainahle development of the village settlements in the city of Niš territory" at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Niš.

This paper will explore whether and how different modes of postsocialist urban transformation of inherited large housing estates (LHE) from the socialist past have influenced quantitative changes in urban green space (UGS) at the neighborhood level. The investigation will be conducted on a representative LHE neighborhood in the city of Niš, Serbia. This paper will introduce the Urban Green Transformation Index (UGTI) that combines five weighted parameters by employing the geographic information system–multicriteria decision-making (GIS–MCDM) method, which uses linear aggregation with a weighted overlay approach. This describes the impact that transformations have on UGSs for their permanency. The results from this paper indicate that the LHE redevelopment processes have caused constant pressure on the UGS throughout the postsocialist period, which has led to their regressive changes. The index presented in this paper could be used as a corrective, or mandatory, or both urban and land use planning and decision-making tool when assessing the degree of environmental and social sustainability of newly planned construction within the LHE neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the multiple contributions of public open spaces (POSs) to the quality of life in large housing estates (LHEs), the comprehensive treatment of their improvement has so far been a rare occasion in post-socialist countries. This paper aimed to explore the transformations of POSs in inherited LHEs in the socialist and post-socialist period and the potential for their regeneration. The investigation was based on a comparative analysis of two case studies in Niš, Serbia, which represent typical modes of POS devastation. The performed research study has shown that POSs have succumbed to dilapidation, displaying a wide array of problems and that their regeneration is neglected. The paper proposes a comprehensive set of measures to regenerate POSs based on contemporary concepts of urban planning and design with a special focus on long-term actions and residents' needs. Particular importance is given to establishing the development guidelines as future prerequisites for overcoming current institutional, economic, legislative, and social obstacles for sustainable implementation of regeneration measures. These findings might encourage future studies of creating a model option for improving POSs at the city of Nis scale, as well in other Serbian cities towards sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]