Strategic or strategic? Reaffirmation of socialist planning on the case of Belgrade

Abstract

This paper examines the understanding of the term ‘strategic’ in spatial planning practice in the post-socialist country Serbia. This is a context which is characterised by the EU integration processes, ongoing transition to a market economy, but also strong path dependency. The first part will present a historical overview of transition from traditional rational planning model to more strategic planning approaches considering the main European and international influences. The second part focuses on a case study of General Urban Plan of Belgrade from 1972 and explores its procedural elements in relation to the ‘strategic approach’. Here we focus on the plan preparation methodology which included strong participatory mechanisms, public competitions and other forms of deliberation, which are rarely considered as a binding component of the rational approach to planning in its purest sense. Finally, this paper discusses the commonalities and differences within General Urban Plan from 1972, contemporary city-level general urban planning documents in Belgrade and present local strategies of integrated urban development. The main aim of this paper is to re-evaluate the socialist legacy in relation to the use of different procedural elements of strategic planning in contemporary conditions.