Promoting bio-based building materials as a means of bridging the urban-rural divide in Serbia

Abstract

Due to the difficult economic situation within Serbia, rural areas find themselves on the margins of investment and development, creating a deep rural-urban divide. Much of Serbia can be characterized as rural with a large segment of the population living in rural settlements defined by socio-economic stagnation or degradation. Revitalizing rural regions is thus important for the socio-economic wellbeing of the entire country and mitigating the rural-urban divide can be key to the sustainable development of urban areas. Much of the built environment in Serbia has a low level of energy efficiency and though public perception has improved, the focus is on improving operational energy, while the embodied environmental impact of building materials is rarely considered. This paper details and analyses the main problems facing rural areas in Serbia. As agriculture is still the primary economic activity in rural areas, it suggests that the development and application of bio-based building materials created from the by-products of agriculture, can be an important element of further strategies for sustainable development in Serbia. In particular industrial hemp, which was once an important and abundant crop in Serbia, is currently experiencing a significant resurgence. This paper demonstrates that hemp-lime concrete may be a particularly suitable building material for encouraging new economic activity in rural areas and promoting sustainable design in both rural and urban areas.