Exploring the Role of Urban Identity in Sustainable Development: The Conceptual Framework and Methodological Steps for its Application in Serbia

Niković, Ana and Manić, Božidar and Čolić Marković, Nataša (2025) Exploring the Role of Urban Identity in Sustainable Development: The Conceptual Framework and Methodological Steps for its Application in Serbia. URBAN INNOVATION: TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO CITIES HAVE GONE BEFORE. Medium sized cities and towns as a major arena of global urbanisation. Proceedings of REAL CORP 2025, 30th Intl. Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 495-506. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

Similar to other regions in Europe, the strategic positioning of medium-sized and small towns in Serbia has not yet been developed to its full extent. At the same time, its potential to contribute to sustainable, balanced territorial development and cohesion at national, regional, and local levels has been recognized through planning documents, strategies, and academic literature. The role of urban identity in the sustainable development of small and medium-sized towns has been especially emphasized. Therefore, there is a need to explore the complex concept of urban identity through analyzing the relevant literature dealing with its definition and practical use in planning. The main goal of the identity analysis is to highlight the specific characteristics of the selected settlements and value them as spatial, material, and immaterial elements that should be at the same time protected and developed. This implies the application of a place-based approach in planning and developing strategies to include the concept of identity as an important parameter for the qualitative assessment of planning solutions. The resulting conceptual framework consists of material and immaterial elements of identity that can be grouped into sets of specific characteristics. Secondly, the sustainable development policy framework for small urban areas in Europe has been investigated, resulting in a set of key thematic fields applicable in general practice and all contexts. The third step subsumes relating the elements of identity with the key thematic fields and creating the framework for measures and strategic directions that would enable simultaneous protection of existing and creation of new place values. This methodology has been applied to the study of identity of five territorially connected municipalities in Western Serbia, that already share a number of common characteristics. Consequently, not only their individual but also their common identity, compared to other regions in Serbia, can be examined. The uniqueness of the individual towns affects the sustainable development policies at the urban level – for regeneration and revitalization of urban centers, their specialization, and positioning. The uniqueness of the common territory opens up possibilities for sustainable development policies at the regional level, for catalyzing economic growth and reinforcing polycentric development at the national level.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	urban identity, sustainable development, planning strategies, medium-sized and small cities and towns, Serbia
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Depositing User:	REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited:	20 May 2025 08:43
Last Modified:	20 May 2025 08:43
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1181

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