NATIONAL REPORT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA TO THE HABITAT III CONFERENCE BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 2016 0 MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE Minister prof. Dr. Zorana Mihajlović Department for housing and architectural policies, public utilities and energy efficiency Deputy Minister Jovanka Atanacković Working team of the Ministry: Svetlana Ristić, B.Sc. Architecture Božana Lukić, B.Sc. Architecture Tijana Zivanovic, MSc. Spatial Planning Siniša Trkulja, PhD Spatial Planning Predrag I. Kovačević, MSc. Demography Nebojša Antešević, MSc. Architecture Assistance provided by the working team of the Professional Service of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities: Klara Danilović Slađana Grujić Dunja Naić Novak Gajić Aleksandar Marinković Rozeta Aleksov Miodrag Gluščević Ljubinka Kaluđerović Maja Stojanović Kerić The report was prepared for the UN Conference on Settlements Habitat III in Serbian and English language 1 CONTENT I Urban Demography ................................................................................................................... 4 1. Managing rapid urbanization ............................................................................................. 4 2. Managing rural-urban linkages .......................................................................................... 6 3. Addressing urban youth needs ........................................................................................... 7 4. Responding to the needs of the aged .............................................................................. 9 5. Integrating gender in urban development .................................................................... 10 6. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ......................................... 12 7. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 14 II Land and Urban Planning....................................................................................................... 17 8. Ensuring sustainable urban planning and design .......................................................... 17 9. Improving urban land management, including addressing urban sprawl ................ 18 10. Enhancing urban and peri-urban food production .................................................... 22 11. Addressing urban mobility challenges .......................................................................... 23 12. Improving technical capacity to plan and manage cities ........................................ 25 13. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ....................................... 27 14. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 29 III Environment and Urbanization .............................................................................................. 32 15. Addressing climate change ............................................................................................ 32 16. Disaster risk reduction ....................................................................................................... 33 17. Reducing traffic congestion ........................................................................................... 35 18. Air Pollution ........................................................................................................................ 36 19. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ....................................... 37 20. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 39 IV Urban Governance and Legislation .................................................................................... 41 21. Improving urban legislation ............................................................................................. 41 22. Decentralization and strengthening of local authorities ............................................ 42 23. Improving participation and human rights in urban development .......................... 44 24. Enhancing urban safety and security ............................................................................ 45 25. Improving social inclusion and equity ........................................................................... 46 2 26. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ....................................... 47 27. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 49 V Urban Economy ...................................................................................................................... 52 28. Improving municipal/local finance ............................................................................... 52 29. Strengthening and improving access to housing finance ......................................... 53 30. Supporting local economic development ................................................................... 55 31. Creating decent jobs and livelihoods ........................................................................... 56 32. Integration of the urban economy into national development policy .................... 57 33. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ....................................... 58 34. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 60 VI Housing and Basic Services .................................................................................................. 62 35. Slum upgrading and prevention .................................................................................... 62 36. Improving access to adequate housing ....................................................................... 63 37. Ensuring sustainable access to safe drinking water ..................................................... 65 38. Ensuring sustainable access to basic sanitation and drainage ................................. 66 39. Improving access to clean domestic energy............................................................... 67 40. Improving access to sustainable means of transport .................................................. 68 41. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt in these areas ....................................... 69 42. Future challenges and issues in these areas that could be addressed by a New Urban Agenda ........................................................................................................................ 71 VII Indicators ................................................................................................................................ 74 Bibliography................................................................................................................................. 76 3 I Urban Demography Intensive demographic changes, which the population of Serbia began to pass in the second half of the twentieth century, demonstrated its greatest effect at the end of the previous and the beginning of the new century. The process of demographic transition throw which the population of Serbia has been undergoing in past decades is carried out in parallel and in interaction with the process of urbanization. According to the rate of urbanization at the level of European countries, Serbia is among less urbanized areas (with a relatively higher percentage of rural population compared to the European average). At the beginning of the XXI century, the population of Serbia faced major challenges, among which are: depopulation and aging, unemployment, migration caused by political and economic crisis as well as by wars and conflicts in the past, etc. Adequate urban development policies, including the implementation of guidelines proposed by the New Urban Agenda, can have a significant impact on demographic trends, as well as on the direction of urban development and the reduction of negative effects. 1. Managing rapid urbanization Like in most countries of South Eastern Europe, the process of intensive urbanization in the Republic of Serbia was initiated in the second half of the twentieth century. Until 60s, Serbia's economic structure had exclusively agricultural character, the population being mainly rural, too. After the Second World War, Serbia was affected by intensive processes of industrialization and deagrarianization, which caused internal migration that has occurred primarily from rural to urban area. While in 1953 urban population seemed little more than one-fifth of the total population (22.5%) and two-thirds of the active population was employed in agriculture (67%), almost half a century later 59.44% (4,271,872) of the total population lived in urban areas, the share of employees in the primary sector activities being 11.8%. The urban growth had declining trend from the sixties. It should also be emphasized that the urban population grew more slowly than the rural population decreased.