Prospective Enhancement of Urban Planning Methodology Based on OO Modeling and Rational Unified Process

Objective of paper is to try to define preliminary release for new urban planning methodology24 based on strong positive knowledge and practice of Object Oriented Methodologies, particular Unified Process and Model Driven Architecture widely used in IT industry. This should be in the same time starting step for the whole process of establishing this methodology which we consider as extremely complex, extensive and long-lasting as it is described later. One of the most important and effective characteristics of Unified Process is its iterative approach resulting in incremental advancement towards targeted goals opposite to the more traditional “waterfall” approach. We suggest the same method for urban planning methodology definition process previously mentioned. Actually, this method suggests to start with simple and small models and methodology elements25, which may not look useful at the start, and iterative improve it to the complex, strong and valuable methodology at the end. This is the way how modern IT methodology and modeling techniques are built to this level of complexity and expressiveness. Recommended method is especially important for urban planning methodology establishment process as complex and multidisciplinary research of application of formal methods, modeling methods, and theory for the solution of spatial problems including building environment, spatial city or regional structure. Planning theory and practice currently use several different methodologies or planning techniques but most of them are typically partial, verbal and informal, restricted to the local ambient, non-automated and thus especially difficult to be established within the IT. There is reasonable advancement in the different categories like GIS, Planning Support Systems, Decision Support System, Sketch Design, Modeling and automata theory. GIS, as the most mature one, is still not solution for all and whole problem of urban planning as it is explained in the literature (L8, L18). Planning and Decision support systems are still more in the academic and discussion phase than in actual implementation and use (L11, L13). Automata theory is exceptionally good and already widely used but has very limited implementation covering only narrow problem domain subset (L1, L10). Sketch Design and Modeling are not developed to the useful level despite theirs recent resurrection (L5, L6, L16, L17). Situation within the IT industry is opposite and we may find emerging standards for Analysis, Design, Implementation, Testing and Deployment of computer based systems which are successfully applied in many vertical industries. Results are improved controllability, quality, efficiency and accuracy of solutions, active participation of all participants, knowledge accumulation, knowledge transfer and at the end complete industry improvement. Papers propose multidisciplinary research focused on development, advancement and application of formal computer based modeling methodologies for better understanding and improvement of urban systems. Result of this research is not new programming or software tool, ready to solve all possible problems encountered to the planners in everyday work, but it is formal and standardized planning methodology. This methodology may be later used for software tool production as it was the case in the IT industry. For this we suggest as starting point OO Modeling (L7, L16), Unified Process (L12) and Unified Modeling Language (L4, L14). It is obvious that linear and direct application of Unified Process, to the urban systems, is not appropriate therefore localization to the urban domain should occur. Once again we strongly want to recommend iterative and incremental approach to the whole process and therefore we may consider this as a process of establishment of formal planning methodology26. Proposed Establishment Process is extremely difficult and complex therefore all participants should take active role. Moreover, it certainly requires a strong and widely supported strategic decision within the urban industry before it even starts. Without this support the whole research is destined to fail since it can not be established properly and will not be used and further developed. We will emphasize existence of two targeted directions of proposed research. The First considers mutation and application of Unified Process methodology and UML to the urban planning and urban systems domain and the second targets further enhancement of urban planning knowledge and techniques as the result of applied formal methodology. The First direction will question and improve Unified Process and UML completeness and universality through its further enrichment, by adding and generalize domain specific particularities. The Second direction aims to establish new planning methodology as solution for emerging problems found in contemporary urban systems

IT Modeling Experience in Urban and Regional Development

Contemporary world increased dynamics forcing accordingly every human activity leaving none outside this never-ending race. Regional development is certainly strongly influenced by this trend challenging regional and urban planning techniques to cope with that. Acceleration of a working context and ambient accompanying with significant complexity are reasons, not only reasons however, for new evaluation and consequent advancement of current urban development planning methodologies. Shortage of a new appropriate techniques and methodology is apparent. Methodology that is able to respond quickly and efficiently to changes, independently from social and cultural context, toward to current development trends. Current planning techniques are based on accustomed mixture of verbal and informal graphic and symbolic language. In the same time research substance if exceptionally complex, heterogeneous and substantial retaining numerous different parameters with rich relationships matrix, required to consider and study in order to fulfill the designated outcome through firmly defined set of activities. One of most difficult problems is spatial dynamics since it is hard to recognize and identify and accordingly difficult to describe and control. Consequently, advancement of a planning methodology is essential to manage all listed inconsistence and weakness i.e. a new planning methodology is mandatory. This objective will certainly require a fundamental breach and change of current planning techniques demand and new interdisciplinary approach and research. Similar complexity level, vast list of parameters with complex and heterogeneous structural and dynamic relationship scheme, may be found in information and telecommunication systems i.e. computer based systems. Information and Telecommunication Technology (ICT in further text) uses object oriented methodology, for analysis and design as well, (OO in further text) to cope with the complexity, scope and heterogeneity of a systems. Latest step in this direction is a Unified Modeling Language (UML in further text) as a cohesive graphic and formal language for system description. UML is adopt as an industry standard and today is almost inevitable in every even modest ICT project. Paper illustrates basic building block of OO methodology and UML, and theirs many years of positive experience and encouraging results, intending to exploit this in an urban spatial planning domain. Higher perception and description level, enhanced knowledge and improved control over the urban development are main objective. However authors do not consider direct, as is, implementation of OO methodology and UML to the problem of urban and regional development. Localization and adjustment to the problem domain is advisory. This is already accomplished for several other vertical industries as joint effort of local experts and OO/UML professionals. Main goal is to apply currently acquired OO/UML experience and knowledge to the urban and regional development problem domain. This interdisciplinary research will be, evidently, long, complex and expensive process but we believe that this direction promises a significant progress for urban planning. Urban ambient formal specification, founded on OO/UML modeling methodology, may accumulate experience and knowledge presenting it to the audience, introducing computer added urban planning and, may be in the future, urban ambient simulation

Can Planning Solutions be Evaluated without Insight into the Process of their Creation?

The paper focuses on an analysis of the political project of Belgrade Waterfront as a drastic case of usurpation of formal planning procedures and the role of experts in the creation of planning solutions. As a campaign tool of the ruling political party, this project has evolved into an urban plan of national importance, and substantial modifications to the existing planning system in Serbia have been made to allow it to be achieved. In a completely non-transparent manner, and without professional involvement, changes have been made to the legal framework, system planning hierarchy, competences for planning decision-making, as well as to planning constraints for the site in question. Notwithstanding all these issues, there was no broad-based reaction by experts. The primary objective of this study is to analyse the tone of day-to-day media reporting so as to determine the main stakeholders and how they speak about the project, and, having recognised these interests and power distribution, identify the real views of the profession about the project. Emphasis is placed on discovering the cause behind the lack of response by the profession, in particular in the context in which the planning system operates. Results of this research should indicate the main problems facing the system and, consequently, produce guidelines for its improvement

Toward the Integration of SDGs in Higher Planning Education: Insights from Integrated Urbanism Study Program in Belgrade

With the adoption of theUNAgenda 2030, UNESCO has put forward new recommendations to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the teaching process. In particular, SDG 11—“Sustainable cities and communities”—is aimed at education in the field of urban planning. In parallel with this, the Guidelines of the European Council of Spatial Planners ECTP-CEU have set out the skills needed for the planning profession. The goal of this paper was to verify the compatibility of the curricula of the master’s study program in Integrated Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, with the recommendations of the UN, UNESCO, and ECTP-CEU. A qualitative analysis of the structure and content of the course curricula was applied on three levels; curricula were compared to: (a) the expected skills in the planning profession, (b) the SDG 11 targets defined in UN Agenda 2030, and (c) the learning objectives, as formulated by UNESCO. The research results highlight several key aspects to improve the curricula, and include the concept of sustainability: (a) the structure of the course curricula, (b) interdisciplinarity, (c) partnerships with institutions and communities, (d) links with scientific research work, (e) practice orientation, (f) improving teachers’ competence levels, and (g) improving the accreditation process. These results can be used as guidelines to improve the curricula of the Integrated Urbanism study program in the next accreditation cycle, and also as a methodological approach to verify the compatibility and dimensions of higher planning education (HPE) in relation to the expected skills and global requirements of education for sustainable development (ESD)

Notes on the development of the urban heritage management concept in contemporary policies

This paper seeks to present an overview of the development of the urban heritage management (UHM) concept by analysing documents from key international organisations in this field. The period 1964-2011 is deemed to have been marked by a paradigm shift in the discipline of conservation. Over the course of the last decade, the discussion has been focused on the development of the historic urban landscape (HUL), a concept that incorporates principles of conservation into the integral urban planning framework. However, it seems that the gap between conservation and development is yet to be bridged in practice. The first part of the paper briefly outlines the most important theoretical thought in the fields of conservation and urban planning that contributed to the development of the urban heritage (UH) concept in the 20th century. The second section reviews the UHM policies presented in documents, with an emphasis placed on the roles of particular stakeholders in the process. This paper contributes to overviewing the key aspects of contemporary UHM policies and highlighting perspectives for its future development

Saving urban planning from another utopian model

Criticism of wide civic participation, as a mean for every citizen to actively engage himself in decision making, including planning processes, has a long history and numerous voices. Although the model is plausible for its openness and somewhat necessary for achievement of contemporary democratic standards (governance transparency, accountability etc.), civic participation has long been criticized for its ineffectiveness, inefficiency and utopian characteristics. Yet, the very notion of the need for public to participate in important decision making processes came along with another novelty — the development and the widespread use of informational technologies. Emerging genres of online platforms combine specific technologies with various actors and activities, thus fostering different types of interpersonal interactions. They are becoming a source of information and a platform for public expression, and complementing traditional media. It is inarguable that new technologies, which support deliberation and information dissemination, can contribute to the increase of civic participation. Completely new range of modes of expression enable citizens to give their voice and to be heard, while fast and different forms of information dissemination contribute to citizens awareness and knowledge about different matters. It may seem that the circle of conditions for successful civic participation is closed. In this article we will discuss the possibilities of civic participation/engagement in urban planning processes through informational technologies, in relation to conditions that civic participation needs and critiques it is exposed to

New vs. traditional institutional order in educational institutions: the case of establishing the first urbanism study programme in Serbia

Rapid and externally imposed institutional changes cause conflict and stagnation within educational organisations. The tension arises from conflicts between the newly introduced institutional framework, which imposes change, and the old one, which takes the form of an informal framework and resists changes that disturb the institutional order established with much effort. The informal framework creates difficulties for operating within the new framework and the state of collision between two competing institutional frameworks prevents institutions from continuing to develop. However, the formality of the newly-introduced framework can override the informal framework, because it opens the possibility for individuals to act within the institutional order, provided that they consolidate and follow a new set of formal rules and procedures. Working within the conflict state and analysing it can help identify weak points in the procedure that could not be identified during the establishment of the new institutional framework

Planned and Autonomous Actions: Belgrade Waterfront Adaptation to Climate Change

There is broad consensus that adaptation to climate change is necessary and urgent. Numerous documents and guidelines are available that provide advice on how to incorporate climate hazards and risks into spatial policies on the global, European and national scale. The experiences of less developed countries have shown that, rather than simply cascading uniform procedures, methods and techniques of adaptation down from higher to lower levels of governance, a realistic approach calls for innovative procedures, tailored to specific circumstances. The authors argue that the climate change adaptation (CCA) process in developing countries, especially post-socialist transition countries with underdeveloped institutions and procedures, differs from that seen in developed nations, which calls for taking these diverse (multiple) experiences into account when adaptation responses to particular local impacts are formulated. In that sense, adaptation is not necessarily guided by effective strategies that take into consideration overall economic, social and environmental goals, but is, rather, primarily intertwined with local spatial planning in an effort to reduce vulnerability to climate change and variability. This is mainly a reactive endeavour, as it lacks an anticipatory approach, but there are nonetheless some innovative qualities in each case that deserve to be closely inspected. This argument is illustrated by an example from Belgrade, Serbia. The Heron Island Project on the Danube River, developed between 2006 and 2009, aimed to reduce vulnerability to flooding. In the absence of climate change adaptation policies and strategies in Serbia, the project sought to balance nature preservation with construction and CCA action. This demonstrative project can be analysed as an illustration of how climate change can be integrated into the planning system, as well as what different opportunities are available to incorporate adaptation into new and existing developments

Na poti k nacionalnemu temeljnemu učnemu načrtu za področje urbanizma: primer Srbije

Over the past three decades, Serbia’s development context has been marked by social and economic transition, war conflicts, and accession to the European Union (EU). These three factors have altered the dominant ideology and value system, including concepts, models of engagement, types of solutions, skills and knowledge across all fields of human endeavor, urbanism included. The complexity of these changes, and the growing tendency to exclude urbanists from local and national development policies and projects, require a re-assessment of their current role and position in urban governance, as well as of the adequacy of their competences and models of education. This paper presents a proposal for introducing a National Core Curriculum in Urbanism (NCCU) as a strategically significant instrument with a number of key roles: (a) to build capacity of the professional community for facing developmental challenges and so ensure ongoing sustainability; (b) to evaluate the quality and guide the development of (new) study programmes; and (c) to allow Serbian professionals to become competitive in the European/global market. The paper comprises three main parts. The first section discusses the relative merits of an NCCU, together with an overview of international initiatives, experiences, and practices in this area. The second part presents key documents relevant for developing the NCCU, grouped into three categories: (i) ‘agendas’, or development concepts and EU’s directives; (ii) charters of associations of planning schools, and (iii) the local context’s legal framework and public policies. The conclusion section introduces a possible methodological procedure for institutionalising the NCC and discusses potential advantages/benefits and disadvantages/drawbacks of this instrument.V zadnjih treh desetletjih so razvojni kontekst Srbije zaznamovali družbena in gospodarska tranzicija, vojni konflikti in vstop v Evropsko unijo (EU). Ti trije dejavniki so spremenili prevladujočo ideologijo in vrednostni sistem, vključno s koncepti, modeli vključevanja, vrstami rešitev, spretnostmi in znanjem na vseh področjih človekovih prizadevanj, vključno z urbanizmom. Zaradi kompleksnosti teh sprememb in vse večjih teženj, da bi urbaniste izključili iz lokalnih in nacionalnih razvojnih politik in projektov, bo treba ponovno oceniti njihovo trenutno vlogo in položaj v urbanističnem upravljanju kot tudi ustreznost njihove usposobljenosti, pristojnosti in modelov izobraževanja. Prispevek predstavlja predlog za uvedbo nacionalnega temeljnega učnega načrta za področje urbanizma kot strateško pomembnega instrumenta z večjim številom ključnih vlog: (a) povečati zmogljivost strokovne skupnosti za soočanje z razvojnimi cilji in tako zagotavljati vzdržnost, (b) oceniti kakovost in usmerjati razvoj (novih) študijskih programov in (c) strokovnjakom v Srbiji omogočiti, da postanejo konkurenčni na evropskem/svetovnem trgu. Prispevek je razdeljen na tri dele. Prvi del obravnava prednosti temeljnega učnega načrta za področje urbanizma, s pregledom mednarodnih pobud, izkušenj in praks na tem področju. Drugi del predstavlja ključne dokumente, pomembne za razvoj temeljnega učnega načrta, ki so razvrščeni v tri kategorije: (i) agende ali razvojni koncepti in direktive EU, (ii) listine združenj šol za prostorsko načrtovanje ter (iii) pravni okvir na lokalni ravni in javne politike. V sklepu predlagamo metodološki postopek za institucionalizacijo temeljnega učnega načrta ter obravnavamo potencialne prednosti/koristi in slabosti/pomanjkljivosti tega instrumenta

45. Salon arhitekture - Salon dijaloga, 28. 3 – 30. 4. 2023. Beograd [član žirija]

Učešće u okviru žirija međunarodne izložbe iz oblasti arhitekture, urbanizma i dizajna sa katalogom