A historical prolegomenon of the legal framework and urban land policy in Serbia as a basis for urban development

The key objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the historical context and development of construction land and its relations to urban development in Serbia. The paper discusses global developmental contexts, legal frameworks and changes of the Serbian urban land policy from the end of the 19th century until today. We emphasize the delay of reforms in Serbian urban land policy as a consequence of the complexities of legal framework, especially under the conditions of the economic and societal transformation (after 2000). The paper presents the original results of the historical changes of the legal system in the field of urban land policy and its connection with the system of spatial/urban planning. Also, we provide recommendations for the future urban land policy, which include further transformations of the legal framework in the post-socialist/transitional period. There is a long lasting need for readjusting the current planning and urban land policy in Serbia, as well as for introducing new urban land policy tools.