Project implementation is one of the key activities in the process of ensuring development. In public institutions, the challenges in project management are particularly evident. Organizational inflexibility and an inability to adequately evaluate work are particularly emphasized, often creating problems during project implementation. These challenges become even greater if the financing of the project is planned with EU grants or other financial instruments that require great precision and thus exceptional project management skills. This document will present an effective project management model, as well as programs and portfolios in regional self-government units. A methodology has been developed to encourage the transformation of public systems from rigidly functional to project systems. The methodology was tested in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Republic of Croatia. An analysis of the quality of implementation of twenty projects has been carried out: an analysis of the final results of ten projects in which the methodology has been applied and of ten projects in which the methodology has not been applied. After conducting empirical research and analysis, the quality of the proposed model was proven at all levels of governance within the public sector. By applying this methodology, significant advances can be made in the quality of realized projects while ensuring the realistic dynamics of this realization and rational financial costs.

Early in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 disease pandemic occurred, and European Union members made the decision to restrict their borders to protect the public's health. Demand for travel and transportation services has decreased as a result of the...

This paper examines the growing field of AI-assisted urban planning within the context of sustainable urban development, with a particular focus on spatial optimization of urban green spaces under conditions of scarcity, density, and economic pressure. While the economic, ecological, and social values of UGS are widely acknowledged, urban planners lack a cohesive, data-driven framework to quantify and spatially optimize these often-conflicting values for effective land-use optimization. To address this gap, we propose a methodology that combines Geographic Information Systems (GISs), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and an Artificial Intelligence-Based Genetic Algorithm (AI-GA). Vračar was chosen as the case study area. Our approach evaluates (1) the economic value of UGS through housing prices; (2) the ecological value through UGS density; and (3) the social value by measuring access to urban green pockets. The integrated method simulates environmental scenarios and optimizes UGS placement for resilient urban areas. Results demonstrate that properties in mixed-use green areas proximate to urban parks have the highest economic and social value. Additionally, higher densities of UGS correlate with higher housing prices, highlighting the economic impact of green space distribution. The methodology enables planners to make decisions based on evidence that integrates statistical modeling, expert judgment, and artificial intelligence into one cohesive platform.

This research analyzes the phenomenon of the reduction of urban green spaces in the post-socialist city. Belgrade was selected as a post-socialist city of the former Yugoslavia. The article analyses the views of urban planners on the reasons for the reduction of urban green areas in the post-socialist city based on semi-structured interviews with representative samples for urban areas. This result research confirms the hypothesis that post-socialist city planning reduces urban green areas due to the lack of new mechanisms in documents for the planning of urban green space. The concept of sustainability should connect and balance the skills of urban planners and focus on how urban planners develop and apply standards and protect them in market-democratic systems. In other words, a new mechanism of post-socialist city planning implies a balance between the private and public sectors. In the planning document, urban planners should find a common denominator between the public interest, citizens, investors, and spheres determined by the sustainable principles of the development. City institutions should provide opportunities for the application of those standards. With the new approach, planning would imply work in the service of citizens in the concepts of a sustainable and green city.

Sustainable urban logistics is imperative in view of the increasing demands related to sustainability and the satisfaction of requirements related to sustainability, and it supports the implementation and use of solutions based on the application o...

World trends are showing a continuous increase in the number of inhabitants living in cities. It is expected that 70% of total world and 80% of total European population will live in cities by 2050. By increasing the number of inhabitants, the challenges of city management are growing as well. With the aim of achieving maximum living standards and quality of life of their inhabitants, the implementation of smart city model proves to be a necessity. The Republic of Croatia, as a member of the European Union, is obliged to follow recommendations contained in a series of documents and conclusions, as well as use the sources of funding available to European member states. The paper provides a framework for understanding the concept of smart cities through an overview of scientific literature, examples of good practice from Europe and the world, and a detailed analysis of the state and degree of development of smart cities in the Republic of Croatia, focusing on key dimensions of smart city development. It has been proven that investing in key dimensions of a smart city: Population, technology, and institutions, generates revenue growth, economic development, and better living quality of city population. The research methodology for this paper is based on a mixed method that involves collection, analysis, and integration of quantitative and qualitative research. The aim of the paper is to provide a framework for understanding the concept of a smart city, point out the advantages of such management mode, as well as the key dimensions to be invested in, in order to boost economic development and quality of life of the dominant, city population.