Many European countries have faced the process of urban shrinkage in recent decades. Due to the various theoretical aspects of urban shrinkage, there are numerous approaches to the interpretation of this process. The most widely accepted of these refers to the demographic component as the starting point for defining this phenomenon, with the decline of the total population as the main indicator. The demographic shrinkage of cities in Serbia is a process that has been in place since the 1960s, with the dynamics of spatial-demographic and socioeconomic transformation during the post-socialist transition having exacerbated urban shrinkage. As a result, over 80% of urban settlements are affected by it. This paper identifies the trajectory and spatio-temporal patterns of the intensity and dynamics of urban shrinkage for the period from 1961 to 2022. The aim of this work is to show the diversity of shrinking cities and to explore the driving forces behind this process in Serbia. In this study, we conducted an analysis of population trends in 167 urban settlements in Serbia. Further analysis included the identification of contrasting spatio-temporal and demographic dynamic patterns characterized by either natural losses or out-migration. Due to the complex urban trajectories, a typology was created that distinguishes four different types of shrinking cities: continuously shrinking cities, episodically shrinking cities, recently shrinking cities, and resurgent cities. The results are important to achieving a better understanding of how patterns of local population trends change over time and space. The result will thus be a step towards explaining the main demographic factors causing population change and inter- and intra-regional differences between shrinking cities in Serbia, as well as towards examining urban renewal opportunities in the future.

The Republic of Serbia is traditionally a country of emigration, especially since the 1960s. As a result of this emigration, return migration has become an increasingly intensive migratory process in the 21st century. This study aims to examine the factors behind return migration, as well as to explore the characteristics of the reintegration process in Serbia, including the sustainability of return. This paper is based on a survey (N = 172) and interviews (N = 20) conducted with return migrants in Serbia. The research findings point to the diversity of the return migration factors, among which a longing for the country of origin is singled out as the most important. Regarding the reintegration process, this study highlights several differences that are apparent between retired returnees on the one hand and other returnees (students, employed, unemployed) on the other. The results show that the satisfaction with quality of life upon return is higher among older returnees and that the satisfaction with quality of life decreases as the respondents’ level of education increases. It is also found that the sustainability of return is connected to the life satisfaction and that respondents who plan to migrate again are the least satisfied with the quality of life compared to those who plan to stay and those who have not decided yet. This paper provides insights into some of the critical elements of the return migration and reintegration process in Serbia. Since return migrants can contribute to sustainable socio-economic development due to their human, social and financial capital, this study may be of relevance to the development of strategies and the implementation of policies in the domain of migration governance.

With more than half the world's population living in cities, the 21st century is known as the urban century. However, in an urbanized world that goes hand in hand with a growing world population, a "silent" process of urban shrinkage has occurred for some time. In the first decades after the Second World War, the decline of cities was initially limited to the old urbanized regions of the world. In the late 20th and early 21st century, it spread to developing countries and has become a global phenomenon. The Serbian urban population grew from the 1960s to the 1980s, and stagnating in the 1990s. Complex spatial-demographic and socio-economic changes during the post-socialist transition have determined the demographic development of urban settlements in Serbia towards shrinkage. At the beginning of the 21st century, the urban population in Serbia has slightly decreased and the disproportions in population development between urban settlements have deepened, reinforcing the previously existing urban polarization. In the last decade, a negative average annual rate of change in the urban population in Serbia was recorded. As a result, more than 80% of urban settlements in Serbia are affected by urban shrinkage. The paper analyses the development of the total population in 167 urban settlements in Serbia from 1961 to 2022. The paper aims to identify trends in population dynamics in Serbia, focusing on the phenomenon of urban shrinkage in the 21st century.

Rural depopulation in the settlements of southeastern Serbia, lasting more than half a century, is the result of a combination of historical, geopolitical, economic, sociocultural and other factors that caused unfavorable demographic trends in this area. One of the most obvious but least studied effects of depopulation is vacant residental units, the first material signal of the abandonment of the rural areas. Abandoned houses and overgrown gardens are typical in rural areas in Serbia, primarily in the southeastern part. The population is the oldest, and the number of abandoned housing units is the highest. Caught in the vortex of depopulation, the survival of many rural settlements is uncertain and, in some cases, almost impossible. However, the question arises whether, by managing the "excess" housing differently, this problem can become a resource. Although depopulation in Serbia has been studied from several aspects, the aim of this paper is to point out the importance of identifying abandoned buildings of rural housing, their extent and spatial distribution, as well as a function "tool" for potential changes in rural areas.

The rural area of Serbia has always been an area of change, while village schools are a symbol of progress and the hub of life in rural communities. In a period of just a few decades, the rural population experienced a metaphorical ride on the "train of death". The devastating consequences of depopulation led to local population decline and the reduction of vital rural functions that were traditionally the core of social and cultural interaction. The changes at the beginning of the 21st century have dramatically reshaped not only the rural landscape, but also the patterns of sustainable development in Serbia. While the majority of rural settlements are on the edge of survival, the decision-makers and their "universal cures" are not helping to overcome the cycle of rural shrinkage. Furthermore, with emphasizing profitability and rationalization of public servicies, the clouser of vital rural functions (schools, culture centers, health centers, etc.) was initiated. The impact on the rural schools network has been particularly strong, and the practise of minimum population threshold necessary for schools sustainability has left severe consequences that caused closure of considarable number of primary schools. This paper examines the relationship between rural depopulation and school closures, focussing on the years 2002-2022. The aim of the work is to determine the effects of school (the "heart of rural communities") closure on rural depopulation, peripheralization of rural areas and patterns of rural decline, as well as on the quality of life of the local population, for whom schools are not only a public institution, but also hubs of vivid social life and community identification.