Over the last three decades, Serbia has moved from a mixed centrally planned e deliberative e selfgoverning economy to a market-based economy, but key institutional reforms are still not complete. Based on the contextual framework of post-socialist countries and theoretical background, this research focuses on the interaction between spatial regularization and existing planning instruments versus urban land market and land-use policy, and their impact on urban expansion in the Belgrade metropolitan area (BMA). The intention is to clarify the implications of urban land use policies and their (im) balance with planning instruments and the land market. The contextual framework of post-socialist Serbia, the transformation of its urban land policy as well as the land development management in the BMA illustrate complexities of spatial regularization, further emphasized by the delay in introducing and adopting new urban land policy. Key findings include: extremely inefficient urban land use and excessive urban sprawl (in the last two decades the urban area has tripled; with high urban land consumption of 670 m 2 per capita compared to other metropolitan cities); and important role of urban land policy (existing, still untransformed instruments contribute to urban sprawl).
Both the characteristics of Serbia?s urban land policy, the delay in reforms
and land development management of the Belgrade Metropolitan Area (BMA)
illustrate the complexities following the reshaping of institutional
framework under the conditions of economic and other uncertainties of
societal transition. The negative implications of the prolonged crisis on the
new urban development policy and urban land tools can postpone the
establishment and application of guidelines for limiting the urban sprawl.
This paper presents a brief literature review, as well as the current urban
land policy and land-use efficiency in the BMA. Traditional urban land tools
will be shortly described, followed by recommendations for limiting sprawl.
There is a need for readjusting the current planning and urban policy
regarding the urban sprawl, from an urban ?command-and-control? approach to a
?learn-and-adapt? approach. We suggest the introduction of more innovative
and flexible urban land policy tools. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike
Srbije, br. III47014]
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