Revealing the relationship between city size and spatial transformation of large housing estates in post-socialist Serbia

This paper considers the links between the city size and transformation of inherited socialist large housing estates within the process of post-socialist urban changes in Serbia. Based on the theoretical and contextual framework, we investigate the following: 1) whether there is a relationship between different city sizes and types, pace and intensity of large housing estates physical and functional transformations, and 2) which type(s) of transformation are dominant in different city size categories. To highlight the relationship, this research draws on the empirical evidence from cities which represent four city size categories in Serbia: Belgrade (capital city), Nis (second-tier city), Leskovac (third-tier city), and Bor (fourth-tier city). Research reveals that transformation of large housing estates is shaped by an unregulated urban environment, relaxed legal culture, and entrepreneurial attitudes of the local authorities to urban planning. Recognizing the power of specific local imperatives, the investigation indicates the interrelation between a certain city size and types and intensity of transformations - they are most diverse in the capital, while diversities decrease with the cities downsizing. Dominant transformation types also vary, reflecting the city categories and their economic power - those that require high/moderate investments and involve many actors dominate in the capital and the second-tier city, while the types based on small individual actions and investments dominate in the third and the fourth-tier city. This initial research aimed to create a platform for further investigation that will provide broader insights into this underrepresented issue and set the ground for urban regeneration strategies

URBAN RESILIENCE: DEFINITIONS, UNDERSTANDING AND CONCEPTUALIZATION

Sustainability and resilience are the two main paradigms of planning and policy making in the past decades. Fostering resilience in the face of environmental, socio-economic and political uncertainty and risk has captured the attention of academics and decision makers across disciplines, sectors and spatial scales. Urban resilience has become an important goal for cities, especially from the point of view of adapting to climate change and reducing their ecological footprint. Urban resilience is conventionally defined as the measurable ability of any urban system, with its inhabitants, to maintain continuity through all shocks and stresses while positively adapting and transforming towards sustainability. However, in theory and practice there are different definitions that are often in conflict. This paper first provides an overview of existing definitions of urban resilience and highlights their main determinants. Then, the paper discusses definitions from the perspective of ways of incorporating key concepts found both in resilience theory and urban theory. In the following, similarities and mutual tensions are recognized between the key concepts. Finally, the paper concludes that a clearer conceptualization is needed to improve this developing field and create conditions for its further operationalization

Urban Transformations and Planning Strategies for Development of Large Housing Estates in the Post-Socialist Context: The Experience of The Baltic Countries

The fall of socialism and radical political changes in the 1990s established a new social, economic and cultural environment which shaped a new urban reality of the post-socialist city. One of them relates to inherited large housing estates (LHEs), one of the most striking spatial legacies of socialism whose future is considered as one of the key challenges in the urban development of the post-socialist city. National and local government’s responses to LHEs development can be recognized through different strategies and planning approaches. The paper discusses those that are characteristic of the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Their experience of adapting the strategies and urban policies to the EU development and planning context may be of importance for the institutional and planning environment in Serbia. Besides the conceptualization of the post-socialist urban and housing policy and their influence on the transformation of LHEs in the Baltic countries, the paper is organized around two key research aims: 1) to investigate the types and intensity of physical-functional transformation of LHEs in the Baltic largest cities through up-to-date research of current challenges and future prospects of LHEs; and 2) to investigate national and local governments response to LHEs development in the post-socialist context, i.e. to identify a major planning strategies. The research findings suggest that building- and place-based urban regeneration, rather than downsizing or even demolition of LHEs, is the sustainable strategies for their future development. Although a comprehensive regeneration strategy is seen as sustainable solution for Baltic countries context, there are still many challenges for its implementation. Possibilities and limitations for its application in the Baltic cities are reviewed in order to identify opportunities and obstacles for implementing a comprehensive regeneration strategy in the context of Serbia, for which it is a novelty

Ekološki dizajn otvorenih prostora u novim višeporodičnim stambenim područjima: kratak pregled iz baltičkih zemalja

After the political changes in the early 1990s, a new post-socialist reality was formed in the cities of the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is characterized by changed institutional planning conditions, which are reflected in changes in housing and urban policy. New types of multi-family housing led by private investors are emerging, in which open spaces are treated in different approaches. One of them is eco-friendly approach, which brings with it numerous benefits. In order to recognize the possibility of its applying in our planning practice, the aim of this research is to examine the modes and benefits of applying eco-friendly open space design, based on analysis of selected multi-family housing estates of the Baltic cities

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part VII, nerves of the lower limb.

Funder: Università degli Studi di MilanoOBJECTIVES: To perform a Delphi-based consensus on published evidence on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb (excluding Morton's neuroma) and provide clinical indications. METHODS: We report the results of a Delphi-based consensus of 53 experts from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology who reviewed the published literature for evidence on image-guided interventional procedures offered around peripheral nerves in the lower limb (excluding Morton's neuroma) to derive their clinical indications. Experts drafted a list of statements and graded them according to the Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine levels of evidence. Consensus was considered strong when > 95% of experts agreed with the statement or broad when > 80% but < 95% agreed. The results of the Delphi-based consensus were used to write the paper. RESULTS: Nine statements on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb have been drafted. All of them received strong consensus. Image-guided pudendal nerve block is safe, effective, and well tolerated with few complications. US-guided perisciatic injection of anesthetic provides good symptom relief in patients with piriformis syndrome; however, the addition of corticosteroids to local anesthetics still has an unclear role. US-guided lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block can be used to provide effective post-operative regional analgesia. CONCLUSION: Despite the promising results reported by published papers on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb, there is still a lack of evidence on the efficacy of most procedures. KEY POINTS: • Image-guided pudendal nerve block is safe, effective, and well tolerated with few complications. • US-guided perisciatic injection of anesthetic provides good symptom relief in patients with piriformis syndrome; however, the addition of corticosteroids to local anesthetics still has an unclear role. • US-guided lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block can be used to provide effective post-operative regional analgesia. The volume of local anesthetic affects the size of the blocked sensory area

KORISTI SINERGIJE URBANE ZELENE INFRASTRUKTURE I INTEGRISANIH PRISTUPA UPRAVLJANJU KIŠNIM OTICAJEM: TEORETSKI OSVRT I PRIMERI IZ BEČA

This paper deals with multiple benefits and outcomes at a lower spatial-functional city levels generated by the synergy of Urban Green Infrastructure approach and integrated stormwater management approaches, resulting from their simultaneous application in the process of urban planning and design. The conducted research examines and analyzes key characteristics of Green Infrastructure and integrated stormwater management approaches, as well as their relationship in terms of principles, spatial-functional forms, types and benefits of their implementation. Since both of them are based on supporting and mimicking the natural environment in urban conditions, which makes them environmentally friendly and allows a greater presence of nature in many urban circumstances, the focus is on investigation of two common main principles and benefits of their implementation - closer connection with nature and increase of biodiversity in urban environment. The research platform consists of selected examples from Vienna which represent different types of lower spatial-functional levels in which both approaches are applied, making them suitable for examining the effects of their synergy.Rad se bavi višestrukim koristima sinergije koncepta Urbane zelene infrastrukture i integrisanih pristupa upravljanja kišnim oticajem na nižim prostorno- funkcionalnim nivoima organizacije grada, generisanim njihovom istovremenom primenom u procesu urbanističkog planiranja i projektovanja. U okviru sprovedenog istraživanja se analiziraju njihove ključne karakteristike i ispituju međusobni odnosi sa aspekta principa, prostorno-funkcionalnih formi, tipova i koristi njihove primene. Budući da se oba pristupa zasnivaju na podržavanju i oponašanju prirodnog okruženja u urbanim uslovima, što ih čini ekološki prijateljskim i omogućava veće prisustvo prirode u urbanoj sredini, fokus istraživanja je na koristima primene dva zajednička principa - bliže povezanosti sa prirodom i povećanja biodiverziteta. Istraživačku platformu čine selektovani primeri iz Beča koji reprezentuju različite tipovi nižih prostorno- funkcionalnih nivoa, što ih čini pogodnim za ispitivanje efekata sinergije

UTICAJ KULTURNIH MODELA NA OBLIKOVANJE FORMI FIZIČKOG OKRUŽENJA: ODABRANI PRIMERI IZ PROŠLOSTI I SADAŠNJOSTI SRBIJE

This paper considers the influence of multiculturalism on the shaping of built environment forms in Serbian cities during certain periods in history which are characterized by specific political and social circumstances. In addition to the theoretical framing of current approaches to multiculturalism, the research focuses on the: 1) review of historical, political and social background of the phenomenon of multiculturalism in Serbia, 2) influence of multiculturalism on the shaping of built environment through chosen examples from the past and present which reflect the different aspects of multiculturalism.Ovaj rad razmatra uticaj različitih kulturnih modela na oblikovanje izgrađenog okruženja u gradovima Srbije kroz pojedine razvojne periode koje karakterišu specifične političke i društvene okolnosti. Pored razmatranja aktuelnih teoretskih prisupa fenomenima kulturnih modela i multikulturalnosti, istraživanje se u ovom radu fokusira na: 1) pregled istorijskog, političkog i društvenog miljea fenomena kulturnih modela i multikulturalnog okruženja u Srbiji, i 2) analizu uticaja različitih kulturnih modela na oblikovanje izgrađenog okruženja kroz odabrane primere iz prošlosti i sadašnjosti Srbije

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system:a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)—part VII, nerves of the lower limb

OBJECTIVES: To perform a Delphi-based consensus on published evidence on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb (excluding Morton’s neuroma) and provide clinical indications. METHODS: We report the results of a Delphi-based consensus of 53 experts from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology who reviewed the published literature for evidence on image-guided interventional procedures offered around peripheral nerves in the lower limb (excluding Morton’s neuroma) to derive their clinical indications. Experts drafted a list of statements and graded them according to the Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine levels of evidence. Consensus was considered strong when > 95% of experts agreed with the statement or broad when > 80% but < 95% agreed. The results of the Delphi-based consensus were used to write the paper. RESULTS: Nine statements on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb have been drafted. All of them received strong consensus. Image-guided pudendal nerve block is safe, effective, and well tolerated with few complications. US-guided perisciatic injection of anesthetic provides good symptom relief in patients with piriformis syndrome; however, the addition of corticosteroids to local anesthetics still has an unclear role. US-guided lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block can be used to provide effective post-operative regional analgesia. CONCLUSION: Despite the promising results reported by published papers on image-guided interventional procedures for peripheral nerves of the lower limb, there is still a lack of evidence on the efficacy of most procedures. KEY POINTS: • Image-guided pudendal nerve block is safe, effective, and well tolerated with few complications. • US-guided perisciatic injection of anesthetic provides good symptom relief in patients with piriformis syndrome; however, the addition of corticosteroids to local anesthetics still has an unclear role. • US-guided lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block can be used to provide effective post-operative regional analgesia. The volume of local anesthetic affects the size of the blocked sensory area