Projects / Programmes
January 1, 2004
- December 31, 2008
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.08.00 |
Social sciences |
Urbanism |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S240 |
Social sciences |
Town and country planning |
| T260 |
Technological sciences |
Physical planning |
spatial planning, regional planning and development, urban planning and design, landscape planning and design, environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation, housing care, transport planning, sustainable development, urban revitalisation, re-urbanisation, spatial planning and management methods, spatial informatics, architectural history, architectural typology, urban history, urban morphology
Researchers (20)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The Spatial Planning Research Programme is distinctly interdisciplinary. It is composed of architects, urban designers, geographers, landscape architects, art historians, economists, ethnologists and sociologists. In short, it covers a whole range of professions that are, in one way or another, related to space. The group includes 18 researchers altogether.
According to the classification of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the programme is listed under the field of Urbanism while, according to CERIF classification, it is listed under the scientific discipline of Town and Country Planning, Physical Planning and Landscape Planning.
The Spatial Planning Research Programme focuses on the study of sustainable development at all levels and in areas relevant to spatial planning:
- spatial planning and regional development, urban planning and urban design, landscape planning and design;
- environmental protection and the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage, architectural and urban history and
- relevant areas of development: housing, transport and spatial informatics.
In the field of spatial planning, the programme is orientated towards the study of models of sustainable development, the examination of the competitive advantages of Slovenian cities and their development perspective within the European integration processes and the development of appropriate methodologies, instruments and mechanisms for guiding Slovenia's spatial development. At the regional level, the programme aims at developing models for ensuring a greater efficiency of integration of regional development and spatial planning at the national and regional levels and also seeks to develop a methodology for the evaluation of national development documents.
The main research topics in the area of urban planning and design are the following: the sustainable development of cities, the preservation and revitalisation of cultural heritage areas and characteristic urban areas, and the establishment of urban criteria for the implementation of spatial policies at the local level. The objective, however, is to develop new methods for determining the distinct structure of the city and criteria for evaluating and promoting good urban design and economic efficiency of projects. These methods may be used for planning control and the management of projects of urban renewal and the complex re-urbanisation of degraded areas.
Landscape planning introduces new approaches to spatial planning. These include and co-ordinate the elements of protection and development at all levels of spatial planning. Research in the field of landscape planning and design is directed towards the systematic development of the theory and the methods of planning of landscape systems at all levels; the development of methods of planning with public participation; the study of spatial values and changes in the cultural landscape; the investigation of dependency between the cultural landscape and regional development and the study of the influence of green areas on the quality of the urban environment.
Research in the field of environment protection focuses on the development of methods for the evaluation and management of the use of natural resources and the assessment of the vulnerability of space; the management of protected areas and the prevention of conflicts in space. Research in the field of protection and renovation of the cultural heritage is essential for maintaining national identity and increasing the recognisability of Slovenia abroad. Research in this area focuses primarily on methodological issues and increasing knowledge on urban and architectural history.
Housing research focuses on the analysis of the housing market and also investigates the role of private capital and state interventions in the field of housing provision. The restructuring and refurbishment of large housing estates presents a particularly important subject within the framework
Significance for science
The interdisciplinary programme for spatial planning and design is of extreme importance for the development of science in a broader, especially European context. The Programme group has been co-operating for many years with foreign research institutions and universities in various projects in different EU programmes The results of international research contribute to the better understanding of the proccesses of urban planning and spatial development in Europe and act as a basis for designing policies for spatial development, protection, design and management on different levels: from the international to the local. The proof that the programme team is well established in the international scientific sphere, is seen through its intense co-operation in scientific research projects with the Oxford Brookes University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University in Tokyo, University of Trieste, IOR in Dresden, Institut za urbanizam i arhitekturo Sarajevo, Institut za urbanizam i arhitekturu Srbije, Institute national de l'histoire de l'art, Paris, etc. Within numerous international and domestic research studies, the programme team has developed new concepts of geographic information systems for the analysis and evaluation of prioritising areas and types of restructuring; for the analysis and planning of pubic city spaces (behaviour and cognitive mapping); and the analysis of accessibility toward public services, according to the principle of equality for all users of the space (a computer based model for the simulation and visualization of the situation within designated spaces). The programme team has developed new methods for restructuring large housing estates; for creating identifiable city structures, city landscapes and green areas; for implementing equality of men and women in spatial planning as well as new methods in the spatial planning regarding free movement. The team researchers have been upgrading the existing and contributed new methods. They improved the knowledge in several spheres of their activities: new methods for planning, restructuring and development of post-socialist cities, sustainable development of cities, regeneration of city centres and large housing estates, city landscapes and green areas, architectural and urban planning history of the 19th and 20th century, sustainable traffic regulation, etc. The proof of their good work lies in the fact that their scientific results are being used in concrete planning projects and in preparation for the new generation of planning documents on a national, regional and local level. The subjects of the research will remain in conjunction with the EU strategic development priorities and Slovene national development priorities: (i) the 7th EU framework programme (climate changes, pollution and risks, sustainable land traffic, social and regional cohesion, cultural diversity and heritage); (ii) Re NRRO 2006-2010 definition (fundamental knowledge of man and society, development of national identity and recognition, understanding and managing social processes and risks); (iii) main goals of the Development Strategy for Slovenia, 2005 (improvement in the quality of living, implementing sustainability in all spheres of development, development of cultural identity and recognition within the international environment); and (iv) national development goals 2006-2013 (sustainable environment and spatial development, sustainable improvement with respect to quality of life issues, promotion regarding the use of information and communication technologies).
Significance for the country
The programme team studies are important for: Sustainable social, economic and cultural development. The programme team have already developed and consolidated its leading role in spatial planning and regulation in Slovenia. The group is based on the principle of interdisciplinary alignment, as its members deal with different spheres of spatial planning. The team will continue to be a key player in the development of science and the transfer of international knowledge into domestic theory and practices; in preparing the methodology of spatial planning on all levels; in preparing strategic documents for the spatial development of Slovenia; in implementing new spatial legislation; and in preparing model cases with regard to the new generation of spatial documents. The team will systematically monitor the development and changes in the environment on the national level, develop methods of spatial, regional and protection planning as well as urban and landscape planning with the aid of new information technologies. The team will devote themselves to developing methods for the protection and renovation of cultural heritage sites and in participating in creating spatial planning and the implementation of documentation. They will monitor the implementation and evaluation of the new legislation, prepare new methodological bases for regulation acts and test cases; they will develop instruments for the needs of spatial and urban planning and landscape studies, prepare textbooks for space management in order to improve the knowledge of civil servants within the sphere of spatial planning; they will participate in the education and the development of the spatial planning system in co-operation with the European Union. The research programme is in tandem with the goals and priorities of Slovenia, so as to develop those spheres in particular, which are on the priority list of the European Union: among them are sustainable development studies. The programme is embedded in programmes on higher education levels, which is also one of the reasons for its importance. 2. Technological development With the e-strategy of the information society, Slovenia joined EU projects, gathered under the title E-Europe. Spatial information systems and electronic operations within the spatial regulation and management, which are investigated in close co-operation with the infrastructure team, are a key component of electronic operations in the global society. 3. Strenghtening of national identity and preserving the richness of natural and cultural heritage sites Studies regarding natural heritage protection are of great importance for the development of sciences, due to the new methods of protecting the cultural heritage of Slovenia. Historical studies of urban structures on all levels are becoming an indispensable footing in relation to urban planning. The concept of sustainable development includes the protection of cultural heritage in urban planning, and calls for the inclusion of conservation programmes within urban planning documents. Systematic studies of urban history and its elements are crucial for the successful planning of urban development in the future. Therefore, they are extremely useful. New knowledge and promotion of results in the domestic and international public (publications, exhibitions, educational programmes for young people) helps to improve the popularization of the sciences, and the recognition of Slovenia in the European cultural sphere. At the same time, they consolidate the cultural and national identity of Slovenia.
Most important scientific results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
