In the Public Eye: Toward the Electronic Transparency of Planning Process

Abstract

The numerous technological possibilities have significantly improved the performances of contemporary planning. The open access to information and continuous upgrading of data bases have certainly raised the level of interaction between planners/professionals and public audience/users, leading to a better understanding of sensitive urban mechanisms, anticipated development options and available spatial resources. The digitization of planning process has also become an important issue in developing countries, especially related to problems of public participation and visibility of information. Similar problems were detected in Serbia, causing delayed implementation of plans, but also blurring investment possibilities. However, during the last decade a number of planning institutions have been using web platforms to present different planning documents to the public, facilitating communication with different groups of users and providing valuable information about planned transformations. The paper discusses a relationship between contemporary cities, their digital skeleton and planning trends, focusing on the expected and achieved transparency of planning process. The case of Serbia is emphasized, considering the possibilities of digitization in the field of planning/urban development. The selected examples (Pozarevac, Belgrade and Zrenjanin) will be presented, the main elements of the applied enetworking will be analyzed and the possible obstacles in a process of upgrading will be identified.