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.

Contemporary scientific literature and strategic documents suggest the concept of polycentricity as a key factor and the aim of regional development policies. One of the aims of this study is to analyze spatial relations between the nodal regions and to determine (calculate) the level of polycentricity in the region of Vojvodina (Northern Serbia). By quantifying spatial relations in the region (using selected methods), we pointed out the relevance of regional development policies, i.e., the extent to which the proposed measures for reducing regional inequalities are in line with the direction of contemporary spatial relations in the region of Vojvodina. We have used four different methodological tools: rank-size rule, urban primacy index, index of functional centrality, and commuting patterns (levels of functional dependence). The obtained results identified the existence of morphological polycentricity, but also the growing domination of the cities of Novi Sad and Belgrade in regulating and managing spatial and functional relations in the region of Vojvodina. These results are not completely in line with the development directions declared in the strategic documents. Our approach focuses on assessing the influence of the main nodal (sub)centers in managing further spatial and functional relations in the region of Vojvodina.

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.

Soil erosion, as a complex geomorphological process, is conditioned by the natural characteristics of an area, but its intensity is significantly amplified by various forms of anthropogenic activity. The main objectives of this research are: (1) to quantify erosion processes in the rural areas of the Velika Morava Basin; (2) to examine the geospatial differentiation of settlements based on the most significant geographical factors; and (3) to determine the influence and hierarchy of geographical determinants that shape the intensity of soil erosion. The Erosion Potential Model (EPM) was applied to identify and assess the degree of soil erosion risk. Geospatial differentiation of rural settlements was performed using Factor Analysis (FA) on a set of 18 selected geographical indicators grouped into three categories: physical-geographical, demographic, and agrarian-geographical. The first four extracted factors explain 79.52% of the total variance. The results show indicate that the majority of settlements are determined by natural conditions and demographic characteristics. This multidisciplinary methodological framework provides an important basis for developing sustainable soil management policies, diversifying the rural economy, and revitalising rural areas.

The municipality of Zemun is Belgrade municipality with highest number of war-endangered persons. Refugee status or status of internally displaced persons still have over 8,000 inhabitants of this municipality. Intensive influx of forced migrants in last decade of XX and at the beginning of XXI century, has led to demographic and physiognomic changes that were analysed in this work. It has past more than 20 years since the settlement of first forced migrants, building now settlements and expending existing ones, and many problems of this endangered community are resolving slowly or not resolving at all. Among the major problems are unsolved status issues of refugees and intermediate displaced persons, incomplete integration, expansion of unplanned and infrastructural unregulated settlements.