Land Use Planning and Transport Planning in Synergy to Upgrade Informal Settlements: Case of Belgrade

Abstract

Land use and transport planning have a key role in delivering social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Responsive planning and good design and management of urban infrastructure can contribute a great deal in solving the variety of urban planning and transportation issues. One of the most important aspects of sustainable planning today is sustainable land use and managing city growth. By shaping the pattern of development and influencing the location, scale, density, design and mix of land uses, planning can help to facilitate an efficient transport and land use system through consistent application of sound planning principles and development guidelines to ensure the effectiveness of land use and transport policies. Urban sprawls, regardless of reasons causing their spread, are considered as one of the biggest problems in the development of cities in developing countries. Belgrade has been and is witnessing a wide spread urban sprawls in form of illegal housing and settlements in its suburban areas during a long period.This paper will discuss the possibilities of using the instruments of land use and transport planning with the aim to achieve urban upgrading of informal housing and settlements on the outskirts of Belgrade. Thus the integration of informal settlements could become the true test of the integrated planning, since informal urban sprawls are one of the most challenging issues in Belgrade development, as well as in the other cities with similar urban problems.