An approach for researching urban and metropolitan areas under the conditions of dynamic changes

Abstract

Big cities, or their metropolitan areas, represent an important arena for research of spatial and socio-economic changes, with implications in a wider (national) framework. Urban dynamics, mainly from the aspect of land-use and distribution of population, is theoretically analysed following the sustainable development paradigm. Recently, with the growing influence of factors of uncertainty and vulnerability, that are exhibited also in the network of settlements, ideas such as ―renewal‖,―transformation‖ and ―reorganisation‖ gain a new significance. This paper makes an overview of the short period in which the transformations of land-use as well as some demographic and socio-economic changes of population took place and have been observed on the metropolitan areas of Belgrade and Novi Sad. Some potential directions of future changes in the selected metropolitan areas have been determined, with the goal of achieving a more successful urban areas’ steering through constant cycles of transformation and adaptation.