Development of the urban systems in Serbia - towards new spatial plan of the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

In the light of making a new Spatial plan of the Republic of Serbia 2021-2035 (SPRS), the paper is elaborating on the current state and prospects of spatial development of the urban systems in Serbia. With reference to previous SPRS and implementation programs, the importance of the urban systems in the interregional and intraregional integration of Serbia and its environment is critically considered. In the SPRS from 1996., the roles between the specific centers in the organization of the territory of Serbia were not clearly divided, nor was there a clear division between the spatial plans` jurisdictions of the local communities, regions or state. The SPRS from 2010, among other things, advocated the principle of subsidiarity, which supports the functional organization of space and is based on concentration of the functions in certain centers. How the new plan perceived the position and role of urban systems, for the purpose of rational territorial organization of the Republic of Serbia and what changes enacted to establish a coherent space in the Republic of Serbia, are some of the questions this paper tried to answer.