Beyond formality: A contribution towards revising the participatory planning practice in Serbia

Abstract

Participation has been present in the Serbian legal framework in the domain of urban planning since the 1950s. Its scope and legal definition have evolved with the transition to democracy, markets and decentralised governance. In line with EU standards, Serbia introduced an additional level of participation in the form of early public inquiry in 2014. Still, participatory planning practice is often seen as a formality which lacks sufficient effect on the planning solution, and requires qualitative improvements in citizen and stakeholder involvement. The main aim of this paper is to suggest that the use of alternative methods of participation in the domains of informing, consultation and active participation may increase the effectiveness of participatory planning practice. Thus, this paper points out some examples of good practice, and argues for the importance of recognising the existing base of knowledge and expertise in order to respond to contemporary requirements in the field of urban planning. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 47014: The role and implementation of the National Spatial Plan and Regional Development Documents in Renewal of Strategic Research, Thinking and Governance in Serbia]

A Contribution to the Integration of International, National and Local Cultural Heritage Protection through a Multilevel Approach to Planning: A Case Study of the Djerdap Area

“…The general assessment is that the awareness of the local population regarding cultural heritage is underdeveloped. In addition, Serbia as a post-socialist country, exemplifies a rather low level of active citizen participation in planning processes, with urban and spatial planning traditionally perceived as a task of the public sector [37].…”

Stakeholders’ perceptions of urban regeneration: the case of Kis-Pongrác in Budapest

“…In contrast, using Hungary as a case study in evaluating the importance of health technology assessment (HTA), Csanádi et al (2019) found that despite the HTA department fulfilling its duties as outlined in the legislation, the lack of stakeholder engagement meant limited transparency and openness. In this ever-changing environment, key planners of projects must be able to be flexible and address contemporary issues, thus in understanding that participatory planning practices in Serbia are often lackluster, Čolić and Dželebdžić (2018) suggest alternative methods of participation under the levels of informing, consulting, active participation and the two-way feedback informing that have yielded positive results in specific situations.…”

Digital Participation Framework for Mountain Areas in Serbia

“…Since the socialist planning era, public participation included methods such as the presentation of plans to local communities, questionnaires, expert discussions, public inquiry, and the possibility to submit a complaint that was reviewed by the designated planners (Nedović-Budić, Djordjević and Dabović, 2011). The domains of political, economic, and social transition, including that of collectivist ideology toward patterns of pluralism, went through radical changes with the transition from a socialist to a market-based economy (Čolić and Dželebdžić, 2018). However, the evolu-tion of the planning system in terms of practicing innovative and inclusive participation methods did not subsequently follow the socio-economic transition or technological pathways, until the COVID-19 pandemic influenced all spheres of life and work.…”

“…Given that public participation in Serbia is formally established as a normative basis that guarantees the rights of the public to participate in territorial development processes (Čolić and Dželebdžić, 2018), this work aims to identify contextual factors for digital participation in spatial planning within the scenario of MA as specific areas with rising attractiveness. The following chapter presents perspectives and limitations of digital public participation in urban and spatial planning worldwide.…”