Depopulated or abandoned spaces are a consequence of the emptying of settlements and the complete disappearance of the human factor in the use of space. The aim of this paper is to determine the size and structure of this space—clusters that can be considered abandoned at the regional level. In the focus of this paper is the space at the district level in Serbia, within which significant changes in land use occurred in the period 1990–2018. Time series of formal databases and data obtained by GIS tools were analysed in order to observe the changes in the structure of surfaces and to define the trend of merging or increasing the empty space during the last two decades. This paper analyses planning documents and strategies in order to determine with which problems the state identifies abandoned areas and what planning solutions are possible. A new method for calculating the homogenization of abandoned space is presented. The results indicate the homogenization of the abandoned space in the border regions in the south of Serbia, as well as major changes in land use, such as reforestation and reclamation of agricultural land.

Tourism is a significant segment of development policy at the national level, and it is important in terms of contributing to the Gross domestic product (GDP) diversifying of economy, reducing disparities between regions, fostering development capital, and promoting regional development. Tourism greatly contributes to the sustainable development of a region and a unit of local self-government, in an environment where sometimes there are no other alternatives for achieving that goal. Theories of regional development and tourism have evolved over a similar period after the Second World War. The concept of regional development has undergone a significant transformation through various theories. The paper analyzes the main principles of the theory of endogenous regional development and the possibility of its application for tourism research as a development factor. Tourism development policy is often created by the views of these theories. The purpose of this paper is to indicate, based on the analysis of modern ideas and approaches to regional development, whether they are suitable for the study of tourism and which factors are decisive in achieving its development function. The paper points out certain elements of theories that can individually or together represent the theoretical basis for tourism development planning in regions and local government units.

Global energy demand is steadily increasing, accompanied by a growing emphasis on clean and renewable energy sources. Serbia possesses significant solar energy potential, with solar radiation levels among the highest in Europe—about 40% above the European average. Within this context, rural depopulation clusters offer attractive opportunities for solar energy development due to the availability of underutilized land. This study aims to identify optimal locations for solar power installations in Serbia’s depopulated areas by applying multi-criteria decision-making methods under uncertainty. A hybrid framework, combining fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy MULTIMOORA, was employed to evaluate potential sites. Fuzzy AHP was used to determine the relative importance of criteria, while fuzzy MULTIMOORA ensured a robust ranking of alternatives by addressing the vagueness in data and expert judgments. The analysis identified several high-potential brownfield locations, with the most suitable land class covering 5.01% (16.94 km²) of the examined cluster area (311.3 km²). These areas are typically characterized by flat terrain, high solar irradiation, and minimal environmental constraints, providing favorable conditions for solar farms. Among the assessed sites, location no. 9 consistently ranked highest across all three fuzzy MULTIMOORA variants: FRPA (z = 0.0588), FRS (y = 0.2811), and FFMF (p = 1.6748). The findings confirm that the hybrid fuzzy AHP–MULTIMOORA approach offers valuable support for informed decision-making on solar energy deployment in depopulated rural regions. Moreover, the utilization of rural brownfield sites contributes to the expansion of renewable energy, rural revitalization, and sustainable land management in Serbia.

The rural border areas of Serbia have been undergoing significant demographic shifts and transformations in land use. Between 2002 and 2022, these regions experienced a continuous population decline, an increase in the average age, and a growing share of single-person households. Simultaneously, there has been a reduction in agricultural land and a noticeable expansion of forested and grassland areas, particularly in hilly and mountainous terrain. This paper aims to explore the interrelationship between demographic indicators and land cover changes in these areas. Pearson’s correlation analysis was applied to data from the national population censuses and the CORINE Land Cover datasets for 1990 and 2018. The strongest positive correlation was found between the decline in the number of households and the reduction in agricultural land. Conversely, the expansion of forested areas showed a negative correlation with most demographic indicators. The findings reflect trends similar to those observed in other Eastern European countries but also reveal specific patterns of spatial marginalization unique to Serbia. In the study, the conclusion leads to the idea that depopulated border areas are in transition between past and future functions that will be influenced by their resource base.

The Košutnjak forest in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, with an area of 259 ha, provides ecological and social benefits to its inhabitants, but its composition has changed in the last 20 years: forest areas have decreased, people have become irresponsible towards the forest and forest soil, and forest degradation is evident. The question is whether the forest has the potential to regenerate and survive. The horizontal assessment of attributes was carried out using data from the official forest database of the administrative unit “Košutnjak (2007–2016)”, which, in conjunction with the basic forest, defines indicators of change, stability, and self-renewal, which assume sustainability and can be a useful tool for sustainable forest management. The attributes and indicators are processed on a three-level alphanumeric scale in Microsoft Excel, and the data collected and analyzed are mapped using ArcGis 9.3. The ability of forests to survive without human intervention was evaluated using the EEFS method of ecological assessment of forest sustainability, which was used for the first time in this study. The results showed that forest change was significant, stability was medium, and self-renewal was low on most sections, so forest sustainability was rated as unlikely. The EEFS method used provided results that can form the basis for a forest management strategy in the city and a platform for the long-term monitoring of forest condition.

Due to the long-term demographic depopulation of settlements, depopulation clusters are observed in Serbia after the 2022 census - areas with 20 or fewer inhabitants or without inhabitants. The areas of depopulated settlements are growing territorially and continue to increase from south towards the North of the country. While the built-up area on the left is expanding around the large cities and around the main roads in Serbia, geographically and functionally isolated villages and smaller towns are being covered by natural vegetation. Even in urban areas, there is a polarisation of highly desirable and sought-after space and undesirable space in a very small area, which is reminiscent of similar phenomena in other countries. In view of population decline, the management of natural resources at all levels of planning and administration is one of the most important issues in spatial planning. In this paper, changes in vegetation cover in depopulated clusters were analysed based on time series data and a formal database of natural resources of depopulated municipalities. It also analysed the correlation of several factors linking population decline to environmental changes. The aim of the work is to determine the natural potential of depopulation clusters in the areas of arable land, mineral resources, renewable energy sources, thermo-mineral sources and forest funds, as well as the way they are currently managed.