Urban Management Model in the Implementation of Strategic Projects in Serbia

Abstract

In the last twenty-five years world cities are using strategic urban projects in the global competition to attract investment and international companies in the promotion of the city as a place for enhanced quality of life. Sometimes these projects trigger the creation of new urban policies that have wider economic and social importance for the cities, but often they are an instrument of implementation of already developed strategies. Additionally, strategic urban projects challenge, and frequently break up conventional planning models of the development of cities through comprehensive urban plans as the only instrument of governance. New models, methods and instruments for transformative action in urban governance, planning and management are needed, which take into consideration both the logic and functioning of property markets on the global competitive level and sustainable, economic and social impacts and benefits for the locality where they originate. We will present the urban management model in the implementation of strategic urban projects on the initiated case of Belgrade waterfront project. We argue that beside many similarities with worldwide cases in the process of planning and management in the realization of strategic projects, namely the private sector initiative, the Serbian case illustrates strong entrepreneurial direction of the public sector, namely the state itself. We also argue based on our methodology and research, in spite of collaborative theorists and practitioners, that it is not necessary to involve general public at large in the participatory process, but instead to focus on fair and just outcomes in the planning and management of such large scale projects, as well as obtaining a broader social support. Practical implications of this research in Serbian context are in the introduction of new models, approaches and instruments at the local government level for responsible, effective, and efficient planning and management of its territory, along with representatives of the private sector and the civil society.