Since the beginning of its post-socialist transition, Serbia has been going through a major political and economic crisis, thus isolated from the mainstream trends of the European integration and convergence. The country's comparative advantages and competitiveness have worsened in terms of two key aspects, that is, its structural qualities and its territorial capital. The economic recovery after the year 2000 assumed a form of “growth without development”, mostly based on poorly legitimized transition reforms, whereby Serbia's inherent unsustainable spatial development patterns have been perpetuated. Today, Serbia finds itself in the position of an economic, ecological and financial semi-colony of a few powerful international political, economic and financial actors, paralleled by the collapse of its strategic thinking, research and governance. Rather bleak development prospects for Serbia call for prompt further research on predictable development scenarios. Therefore, we have discussed the key issues in the current planning system and practice and analysed the basic elements of the prospective future using the scenario approach.

The study analyses the decision-making, planning and governance (DMPG) of urban mega-projects (UMPs) and elaborates on it in a case study of real estate financialization by the Belgrade Waterfront Project (BWP). In order to systematize numerous challenges in urban planning and governance that enabled the BWP, various analytical tools are applied. This approach combines the components of qualitative ex-post analysis, critical discourse analysis and stakeholder analysis. The analyses of the legislation and the DMPG related to the BWP indicate: (1) a regulationist state-led process as a ‘top-top’ approach in governance; and (2) the existence of certain controversies in the legal and planning approaches (e.g., lex specialis for expropriation, out-sourcing of planning decisions, a closed fast-track decision-making cycle, and the alienation of public construction land free of charge). It is argued that a combination of top-down political power, international business and limited citizens’ participation shapes the BWP. Finally, an improved approach for governing UMPs is suggested which is based on greater transparency, an improved regulatory and institutional framework, as well as innovation in the urban planning and governance arrangements to facilitate challenges for ongoing UMPs.

This paper analyses the implications of participatory urban design in Belgrade, namely of the series of recent unsolicited activities that has contributed to setting up a specific micro environment in the neighbourhood of Savamala. Its main aim is to promote bottom-up urban development, surpass current profit-oriented trends, and benefit from sociospatial contradictions as opportunities for creativity and participation. The Savamala neighbourhood is among the most important landmarks in Belgrade. Endowed with rich historical heritage and extraordinary spatial potential, Savamala is now a traffic bottleneck with intense pollution, urban noise and socio-spatial conflicts. In order to set up an engine for urban development, several streams of participatory activities have been launched by NGOs and IOs, such as: online campaigns and networking, informal research activities, pop-up events and instant actions for societal progress and bottom-up economic activities. The Actor-network theory (ANT) methodological approach demystifies the circumstances of participation and the role of various actors in building pathways of urban transformations in Savamala, while the Multi-agent system (MAS) proposes the framework for tracing their behaviour at the neighbourhood level. A complex post-socialist framework presents a challenge for these participatory activities to provide opportunities for urban transformations, based on social interest rather than on real estate speculations. In the lack of official strategies and institutionalised support, the MAS-ANT method involves estimating whether an economy of social exchange could contribute to improving the quality of life and functionality of urban systems.

Both the characteristics of Serbia?s urban land policy, the delay in reforms and land development management of the Belgrade Metropolitan Area (BMA) illustrate the complexities following the reshaping of institutional framework under the conditions of economic and other uncertainties of societal transition. The negative implications of the prolonged crisis on the new urban development policy and urban land tools can postpone the establishment and application of guidelines for limiting the urban sprawl. This paper presents a brief literature review, as well as the current urban land policy and land-use efficiency in the BMA. Traditional urban land tools will be shortly described, followed by recommendations for limiting sprawl. There is a need for readjusting the current planning and urban policy regarding the urban sprawl, from an urban ?command-and-control? approach to a ?learn-and-adapt? approach. We suggest the introduction of more innovative and flexible urban land policy tools.

Serbian ski resorts’ altitude and latitude are lower than in most European ski resorts. In the context of climate change and the Serbian Government’s plans to keep opening new ski resorts, this study examines the competitiveness of Serbian ski resorts in the eyes of domestic tourists, hence the justification of new developments. This research was carried out in three steps: a statistical analysis of a survey conducted among domestic tourists, an interpretation of the context based on responses to open-ended questions, and a comparison of Serbia’s most popular ski resorts with leading ski resorts in Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Italy, and France. The results showed that Serbian tourists focus on value for money, skiing, and ski infrastructure quality rather than additional activities such as cultural tours, entertainment, or wellness. In the context of international discussions on climate change impacts, environmental consequences of ski resorts, and survey results, we recommend that future strategies of ski resort operators in Serbia focus on developing and promoting complementary activities to winter sports and prioritizing the redevelopment of existing ski resorts rather than constructing new ones.