Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Urban Planning in Post-Socialist Transition Countries in Between Values and Interests

Abstract

Although in recent years Serbia has seen significant efforts in setting up legislative and institutional frameworks aimed at tackling climate change, they still lack operationalisation that would make them effective at the local level. While democratic changes in Serbia have set in motion transformation of the social system, the socialist practice of top-down implementation of decisions is still widely present. What is lacking is an appropriate institutional and procedural framework in which the position of a responsible individual would substitute for that of a powerful decision maker. In circumstances when political decision makers are pressed by the demands to pursue development goals of economic policy, the issue of public intervention is caught somewhere in between interest and value domains. It is therefore unrealistic to expect efficient operationalisation of national climate change response policies at the local level. Protection of common values can be best ensured through regulations. While the existing planning framework in Serbia recognizes climate change issues in documents adopted at the top, national level, specific measures needed for implementation are still lacking. This paper explores the possibilities for development of urban planning regulations tailored to climate change response. The emphasis is on reexamination of the relationship between values and interests within current strategies and policies on climate change adaptation and legislative framework. Shifting the emphasis to regulations will make the urban planning system more resilient to particularised interests and ensure the realisation of the agreed value framework.