The weakness of spatial planning in Serbia: Spatial development planning of border area towards Bulgaria as a case study

Abstract

Uncertainty is the only thing we can count on in Serbia nowadays. It seems that never-ending transition and predominant neoliberal concepts in both economical and social issues are still leaning our spatial planning system against the wall. Moreover, nothing is clean from the planners' point of view: who are the main actors and referees, which are the rules of the planning game, and even where the playground boundaries are. Spatial planning has always been a kind of calculated risk, but here and now it seems like it is just pure and simple risk. The situation is critical on all levels, from national straight to local, due to the absence of the regional level. Most of the spatial planning institutions adhere to a traditional rigid planning model, which is deterministic, inflexible, with fixed land use regulations. The spatial planning system is predominantly planners' centered, implying that it is the planner who identifies the problems and seeks planning alternatives rooted exclusively in rational methods and objective determinants. There is little, or no room for different interests and ideas and consequently, hardly any room for various stakeholders and shareholders to take part in the planning process and the ensuing implementation phase. All these weaknesses are even more obvious when shown on the particular example: development planning of bolder area of Serbia toward Bulgaria. This paper deals with the basic social and economic frame in which planning is performed in Serbia in recent years together with the main problems within the planning practice itself, shown in the mentioned case study. It also argues for the necessary changes aiming to increase the spatial planning system efficiency.

Nesigurnost je jedina stvar na koju se danas može računati u Srbiji. Utisak je da su tranzicija kojoj CE ne vidi kraj i dominirajući neoliberalni koncept u ekonomskoj i socijalnoj sferi bukvalno priterali sistem prostornog planiranja uza zid. Štaviše, sa stanovišta planera gotovo da ništa nije jasno: ko su glavni učesnici u planiranju, ko donosi odluke, koja su pravila igre pa čak i gde su granice igrališta. Prostorno planiranje je, doduše, uvek predstavljalo jedan oblik proračunatog rizika, ali danas i ovde je ono prost i čist rizik. Situacija je kritična na svim nivoima planiranja, od nacionalnog, preko regionalnog do lokalnog. Sadašnja praksa planiranja u Srbiji je planer-centrična, u smislu da gotovo isključivo planeri identifikuju probleme u prostoru i nude alternative za njihovo rešavanje. Premalo je mesta ostavljeno za drugačije interese i ideje, međusektosku koordinaciju i sinhronizaciju partnerstva između javnog i privatnog sektora. Konsekventno, premalo je mesta ostavljeno za građane, intresne grupe i organizacije da u procesu planiranja učestvuju, te da učestvuju i u procesu planske implementacije. Dobar primer autističnosti sistema planiranja u Srbiji je planiranje pogranične zone prema Bugarskoj. U ovom radu su prikazani socijalni i ekonomski okvir u kome planiranje u Srbiji danas deluje skupa sa problemima koji su se mogli identifikovati unutar struke, plastično ilustrovani na pomenutoj studiji slučaja. Pored ovog, u radu se pledira za uvođenje nephodnih promena koje bi sistem prostornog planiranja učinile efikasnijim.