Sustainable spatial development of tourism destinations in time of crisis in Serbia

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the challenges and possibilities for sustainable spatial development of tourism destinations at the time of economic crisis in Serbia. At a time of crisis, the sustainability of more developed tourism destinations is challenged, as the pressure from the tourism industry for intensive construction of tourism facilities and their spatial concentration prevails. The proposed development is then more likely to cause negative impacts on environment, as well as on social and economic development of local communities. Primary tourism destinations in the initial stage of development do not experience the pressure of tourism industry for intensive development, thus enabling the public sector to prepare for and support their sustainable spatial development. On the other hand, in times of crisis the public sector will have difficulties to provide for necessary investments of the private sector in tourism facilities and supply. In the paper primary tourism destinations - mountain tourism destinations, Danube and Lower Danube, have been analyzed and compared in terms of sustainability and spatial development changes. Based on results of the analyzed cases, the challenges and possibilities for sustainable spatial development of tourist destinations have been evaluated and discussed. The research has multiple implications. It suggests necessary adaptations in the spatial and tourism sector planning and management of tourism destination at different stages of development. It also calls for stakeholder participation, public-private arrangements, and local community involvement in the sustainable spatial development of tourism destinations in Serbia

Spatial Aspects of Environmental Impact of Power Plants

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is one of the key instruments for implementing sustainable development strategies in planning in general, namely for analysing and assessing the spatial development concepts, in this case in the field of energy and planning of power plants. The SEA in energy sector planning has become a tool for considering the benefits and consequences of the proposed changes in space, also taking into account the capacity of space to sustain the implementation of the planned activities. This chapter examines the multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method for carrying out an SEA for the power plants in Energy Sector Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia (case study). The MCE method has found its use in the analysis and assessment of the energy sector spatial impacts on the environment and elements of sustainable development and, in this context, also considering the importance of impacts, spatial dispersion of impacts, their probability and frequency of occurrence, along with the elaboration of the obtained results in a specific, simple and unambiguous way. The chapter focuses on the consideration of aspects of environmental impact of all kinds of power plants, without taking into account the details regarding other aspects of energy sector development that are dealt with in the case study

Demographic Change in Serbian Mountain Areas - Trends, Characteristics and Pressures

This poster is going to show the transformation of population trends and structures in Serbian mountain areas and classify them by overlapping different criteria of demographic change. Several elements of demographic change will be analysed and graphically presented, based on data from census years: population growth rate, birth rate, and share of young (0-14), working age population (15-64) and of elderly population (65 and more). An effort will be given to interpretation of migrations, although available data are limited. Comparison between trends of these indicators and trend of total population number and density will serve to explain the demographic change type and characteristics in case of Serbian mountain population. In addition, the poster will present territorial differences in the country and within the mountain area, aiming to conclude on spatial pressures that demographic changes bring and on necessary changes required in order to mitigate impacts.Conference poste

Methodological approach to the spatial plan of the river belt

Based on the main assumptions of the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia in regard to the Danube-Sava river belt, this paper gives an overview of the methodology of this area's spatial plan elaboration. The importance of this belt for the integration and development of Serbia, the spatial scope and complexity of the task, imposed new approaches to defining methodology and the elaboration procedure of this spatial plan. During the preparation phase oft the Spatial Plan of the Danube-Sava River belt it was projected that it should be elaborated in two main phases. The first phase ought to define the overall development strategy, the space utilization, protection and arrangement of the river belt and its gravitating areas (outlined by districts' territories along the Danube and the Sava). The second phase of the Spatial Plan should be elaborated as a structural/physical plan divided into seven belt's segments (outlined by territories of local communities along two rivers)

Recent changes of spatial and functional organization of urban regions and cities in Serbia

This paper summarizes the results of recent explorations of spatial and functional organization of Serbia based on identification of its urban regions (UR). Network of settlements was treated as a complex, open and dynamical system of urban regions, functional urban areas (FUR) and daily urban systems (DUS). These complex systems have been developed under the conditions of continuous redistribution of population and more/less synchronized processes of deagrarization, deindustrialization and urbanization with general socioeconomic flows. Determination of urban regions is theoretically and methodically based on principles of regionalization and recent doctrines of regional development, contemporary spatial planning and social and economics disciplines of social geography. Results to a great extent identify and scientifically explain problems of the development of spatial and functional organization of urban regions in Serbia

Approach to identification and development of mountain tourism regions and destinations in Serbia with special reference to the Stara Planina mountain

This paper deals with theoretical-methodological issues of tourism offer planning and regulation of settlements in mountain destinations. The basic determinants of the development of mountain tourist regions destinations in EU countries, in which respectable development results have been achieved, first of all in terms of income, together with appropriately adjusted development and environmental management system, have been emphasized. The ongoing transition and structural processes in Serbia will have an impact on application of these experiences. At the same time, a basis for competitiveness of mountain regions will not be determined only by spatial capacity and geological location, but also by creative-innovative developing environment. Taking into account the spatial-functional criteria and criteria for the development and protection, the possible spatial definition of mountain tourist regions/destinations in Serbia are presented. The justifiability and positioning of tourism development projects are analyzed aiming at uniform regional development, where two segments of demand are of particularly importance, i.e. demand for mountain tourism services and for real estates in mountain centers. Furthermore, holders of tourism offer will be analyzed through a contemporary approach which may be defined as the development and noncommercial and market and commercial one. International criteria which are evaluated while selecting city/mountain destination for Winter Olympic Games are particularly analyzed. Considering experience of countries with higher level of development of mountain regions, the main starting point for positioning projects for sustainable development of tourist destinations are defined by specifying them according to specific local and regional conditions. A rational model for spatial organization of tourism offer is shown on the example of the Stara Planina tourist region

Problems of spatial-functional organization of Južno Pomoravlje region's network of settlements

During the elaboration of the Regional spatial plan of the municipalities of Južno Pomoravlje (Region Južno Pomoravlje) a special attention was paid to its network of settlements. Demographical and functional determinants of this network were analyzed based on the relevant theoretical-methodological concepts and qualitative-quantitative indicators. Settlement network of Južno Pomoravlje was considered as a subsystem of the Republic of Serbia's settlements' system. Correlation and causality between processes of spatial and socio-economic migration of population and functional transformation of settlements have been highlighted, which caused differentiation of the Region's municipalities to: urban cores - peri-urban rings - suburban more or less urbanized villages and rural surroundings. Models of decentralized concentration and micro-developing nuclei are proposed as instruments for decentralization of the Region or its municipalities. Based on the level of spatial-functional integration of settlements, regional as well as municipal and micro-functional - micro-regional structures have been identified. This paper gives conceptual and strategic proposals of spatial-functional organization of Južno Pomoravlje, which are based on settlements' determinants. Authors suggest that functional premises define determinants for the Regional spatial plan and steer the sectoral and strategic decisions

Retrospective of and prospects for the development and strategic planning of tourism in the mountain regions of Serbia

Following on from previous research, this paper provides a comparative retrospective overview of trends in the development of mountain tourism destinations (MTDs) in European countries and their influence on MTD development in Serbia. The prospects for developing tourism in the mountain regions of Serbia follow the European trends and experiences in sustainable MTD development. These trends and experiences should be selectively implemented and adapted to the social and economic conditions, the characteristics of Serbian mountain regions and the effects on the local and regional spatial development. The paper gives a critical view of the role of strategic planning in developing tourism in Serbian mountain regions. The problems that have influenced the prevailing uncontrolled development of MTDs, the marginalization of the role of strategic planning and the limited implementation of spatial planning in their development have been identified. The possibilities for achieving the coordinating role of spatial planning in strategic planning were assessed for the National Park and MTD Kopaonik. In this case the harmonization of the various sectoral plans and programs, the multisectoral coordination of development entities in the public sector, participation in the planning process and partnerships in decision making and implementation have been achieved in the process of spatial planning, and this should be implemented for other MTDs and improved in the future

Strategic evaluation of economic feasibility of mountain tourist region development: Case study of Stara planina

This paper covers theoretical, methodological and practical discoveries and evaluation of the economic aspects of development and planning of the mountain tourist regions. The basic aspects of economic-spatial theories, analysis and methods are presented for research of development effects in the mountain regions. It is also pointed to the basic terms of the mountain tourist regions development in the countries of the European Union which realize respective development results The work analyses significance of tourism in development of the mountain regions characterized by the capability for innovative activities, i.e. starting the whole range of complementary activities which reversibly influence the forming of growth and development poles. Especially are analyzed commercial and non-commercial effects of realization of the mountain tourist centers in ecologically saved, but as a rule, economically not enough developed mountain regions. The approach in the strategic evaluation of the economic feasibility of development of the tourist region is considered in accordance with the experience of the countries with higher degree of mountain region development, on example of Stara planina. The analysis of economic feasibility of mountain region development Stara planina covered the following segments: market, consumption, number of employed, investment means and economic effects of exploitation. Considering the fact that Stara planina is region covered by the Park of Nature and Tourist region for which the Spatial plan is done, a special problem was harmonization of development and protection functions, i.e. evaluation of economic and ecological acceptability for development implementation. The Spatial plan foreseen rational model of sustainable regional development of the Stara planina region based on integration of urban and rural economies on one side and development of tourism and protection of nature, on the other

Sustainable tourism development in the Carpathian region in Serbia

This paper analyzes natural and anthropogenic tourism resources in the Carpathian region in Serbia, as well as legal and institutional frameworks which need to be strengthened with the aim of ensuring sustainable tourism development of the region. The sustainable tourism development will necessitate the linking of stakeholders within and at the level of the region, along with an adequate support at the national level in order to take advantage of numerous opportunities offered by an increasingly intense cross-border cooperation. Taking into account the greater number of protected areas and those planned to be protected in the Carpathian region, as well as specificities of tourism development in these areas, special attention in the paper has been given to sustainable tourism development of protected areas