Development Challenges Faced by Cities in Serbia

Abstract

The cities in Serbia are a heterogeneous system of settlements of various demographic size, economic development and functional capacity, resulting from different predispositions for development in a specific geographic and socio-historical context. This chapter considers cities as urban centres which are hubs of their local government units that have a central function in their spheres of influence. Although this is not congruent with the concept of a city defined by multiple relevant laws, it aptly reflects the cities in Serbia; however, that is not the subject of this discussion. This debate examines the system of settlements in a specific territory from the perspective of urban geography, with urban systems or networks of settlements at different levels of development, but all of which have at least one central settlement, along with other surrounding subordinate settlements. This approach to urban systems enables a comprehensive view of the cause-and-effect relationships that define each urban system, namely their space, population and activities, and it avoids incomplete views by focusing on just some aspects of urban development. Finally, this approach has also been used in the long practice of spatial planning in Serbia.