Urban sprawl of informal settlements in Belgrade, Serbia – Models for standardization and reflections on recovery

Abstract

One of the main challenges for sustainable urban development of Belgrade with its 1.7 million citizens is prolifc informal development and uncontrolled urban sprawl. These phenomena were initiated mainly because of rural to urban migrations, however they continued more intensively in the 1990s, not only because of regular migration, but as after effect of forced exile of people from Kosovo and Metohija and refugee crisis in ex-Yugoslavia wars. The informal settlements occupy rural land in the outskirts of Belgrade, mostly by main in and out transit corridors. The characteristics of these neighbourhoods is unexpectedly high standard in residential buildings, even luxury, in contrast with unfavourable environmental conditions, the lack of urban standards and highly increased coeffcients, absence of technical infrastructure or at least existence of the inadequate one, shortage of basic social and public utilities and public spaces. Underlying conditions why so many people live in informal settlements are the high cost of “formal” housing (issues of affordability), as well as there may be discussed to less degree some aspects of residential preference. The empirical research is carried out on the examples of several urban plans for standardization, regulation and legalization of these settlements in Belgrade, which established a model for resolving the situation, with a goal to obtain better living conditions and limit the informal growth by employing urban planning tools.