Transformation of Spatial and Urban Planning in Serbia (1945-2015): Reframing the Resilience of Planning in a Transitional Society

The application of resilience in spatial and urban planning is typically narrow: it usually focuses on urban ecosystems and infrastructures as objects for implementing resource-efficient settlement strategies. In contrast, the structural aspects of regulatory frameworks that influence planning practices are seldom discussed as enablers of a resilient built environment. This book employs the case of Serbia, which has undergone significant political, ideological, social, economic, and cultural shifts since World War II, to elucidate the practical manifestations of planning resilience in a transitional society.

To emphasise the shift from 'planning for resilience' to the 'resilience of planning', this book examines the notion of planning communication as a fundamental component of an evolutionary resilience approach. This focus redirects attention to the process of policy formulation, which subsequently influences the nature of spatial and urban planning policies, processes, practices, and artefacts. Notably, by conceptualising and testing a research framework based on systemic, networking, and professional factors, the book comprehensively assesses the quality of planning communication in the Serbian spatial and urban planning system through a multi-layered approach across four transformative phases of evolutionary resilience: growth (1945-1974), conservation (1974-1989), destruction (1989-2000), and reorganisation (2000-2015). Finally, by testing the contemporary concept of resilience through local and temporal scales of Serbian spatial and urban planning over seven decades, the book reflects on the crucial factors for enhancing the resilience of planning, thus providing a useful resource to planning researchers, educators, students, and practitioners interested in both the topical perspectives and an empirical case.