The illegal settlements in Belgrade vs. taming city growth: case study of Belgrade

Abstract

The paper will explore the genesis and growth of illegal settlements in Serbian capital, with the aim to present the specificity of informal housing areas and to offer a possible approach for taming its further growth. Serbia is, like some other Balkan countries, facing the problems of incoherent urban and regional development, of tackling the urban growth and of deficit of integrated urban strategies. On the other hand, specific problems of Serbia are related to the possibilities of integration of special socio-economic groups, such as low income citizens. This pressure of these problems is most visible in Belgrade since it deals with the demographic pressure and growth for a long time. As a consequence of this pressure many previously agriculture areas at the fringes of the city have become illegal settlements. On one hand, the paper will discuss spatial distribution and overall impact of illegal housing settlements in Belgrade territory, related to the sustainable urban growth and sustainable urban land use. One the other hand, it will offer the methodological framework given as the choice of aspects that should be treated in the process of integration of illegal settlements, while regulatory framework will point out the issues related to the shaping of settlements as liveable places. Conclusion remarks will emphasize the benefits and constraints of the chosen path for the integration process.