Urban society and resilience of Belgrade and Novi Sad in the network of settlements in Serbia: recent changes and perspectives

Abstract

As one of the modern substitutes for ‘sustainable development’, ‘resilience’ marks a relatively recent and overarching concept which relates to research of urban areas and urban society. In this paper, the resilience challenges are reflected on the urban context in Serbia, with special reference to two of its biggest cities - Belgrade and Novi Sad as the key pointers in growing imbalances in the settlement network of the country. Although this is not a particularity of Serbia, other urban settlements, especially small and medium-sized towns, have not been empowered enough to substantiate better links with smaller and larger settlements within urban-rural interface, and their role has been challenged from the aspect of ‘resilience of cities’. This paper also addresses the recent changes and perspectives for ‘resilience in cities’ with examples of Belgrade and Novi Sad. Finally, some implications are drawn towards potential adaptability within urban settings of Serbia.