Abstract
Starting in the 1990s, an increasing number of studies and reports have focused on examining the nature and characteristics of spatial planning in Europe. The geographical coverage of these comparative analyses broadened over time, paralleling the progression of EU integration. However, the Western Balkan countries were only vaguely mentioned within such studies, mostly due to their fragmentation and geopolitical instability. This paper analyses and compares spatial planning systems in the Western Balkan Region since the 1990s. More specifically, it presents an overview of the geographical and socio-economic situation, explores administrative and legal frameworks for spatial planning, analyses spatial planning instruments produced at each territorial level, and addresses future challenges. Through so doing this paper exposes the complexity of the subject and sets a base for further research.
Highlights
Modern spatial planning systems arose as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, when increasing urbanisation rates and the movement of population away from agriculture towards industrial and service sectors created substantial development pressures across countries
Territorial administrative systems vary between the WBR countries; where XKX, MKD and MNE have two levels of administration – the central level, and the local level – ALB, Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) and SRB have additional regional levels of planning
This particular administrative subdivision in the WBR countries can be related to the path-dependent nature of each system
Summary
Modern spatial planning systems arose as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, when increasing urbanisation rates and the movement of population away from agriculture towards industrial and service sectors created substantial development pressures across countries. A proliferation of comparative studies on spatial planning systems in the European Union (EU) has occurred since the late 1980s (Davies et al, 1989, Newman and Thornley, 1996; CEC, 1997; Nedović-Budić, 2001; ESPON, 2006; COMMIN, 2007; Reimer, Getimis and Blotevogel, 2014; ESPON and TU Delft, 2016). Over time, such studies broadened their geographic scope to include the new countries joining the enlarging EU (Table 1). DATA Territorial Surface (km2) Population (2015) Population Change 1990-2015 (%) Urban Population 2015 (%) Total GDP (Billion US$) 2015 GDP per Capita (USD) 2015 GDP growth 2014 - 2015 (%)
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