Projects / Programmes
Sustainable spatial development: of Slovenia: from central places to a network of localities
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.03.00 |
Social sciences |
Sociology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S210 |
Social sciences |
Sociology |
| S240 |
Social sciences |
Town and country planning |
| T260 |
Technological sciences |
Physical planning |
sustainable development, spatial system of the Republic of Slovenia, spatial sociology, dehierarchisation of the spatial system, quality of life, urban sprawl, environmental degradation, territorial planning, local communities, new localizm, urban deficit, information society, informatization of rural area, teleworking, preservation of the diversity of the natural and cultural heritage, suburbanization
Researchers (11)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
The basis of the research are theoretical conceptualisations of globalisation processes and endeavours towards balanced sustainable development and rationalisation of the Slovene spatial system. Globalisation processes as well as the European integration processes "threaten" the established national spatial system, which because of its centralist hierarchy constitutes an obstacle to the integration processes and introduction of new sustainable development paradigms.
Based on findings about described global socio-spatial processes, the project's basic research hypothesis is that the assertion of new development paradigms requires a transition from the existing centralist and highly hierarchised system, which is based on the logic of the centrality of places, to a non-hierarchic spatial network systemational spatial system.
Analysing the spatial system of the Republic of Slovenia, we established that decision-making and proceedings, condensed at the national level, have made the system increasingly centralised over the past decade. Though this model of socio-spatial organisation, which preserves the old hierarchic logic at the level of the spatial system, can be understood as a preventive administrative and systemic decision in the light of the processes of establishing independence, we should also be aware, that in terms of long-term development this model is one of the principal generators of the country's spatially unbalanced development or, in other words, a generator of new post-modern peripherality and exclusion. Such a development is obvious from the widening interregional differences in terms of the quality of life between the central region and the peripheral border regions.
Urban sprawl is one of the most important types of land-use changes in Europe. It increasingly diminishes the quality of life in Europe and brings forth major impacts on: the environment (e.g. surface sealing, emissions by transport, or ecosystem fragmentation), the social structure (e.g. segregation, lifestyle changes, or neglecting city centres) and the economy (e.g. distribution of production and employment, land prices, infrastructure costs). These threats, their interactions and the conflicting interests in resolving them, represent a common challenge across Europe. Against this background the multi-disciplinary project strives for an integrated impact assessment of causes, consequences and regulations of urban sprawl. Within the project options for further improvement of incentives for ''sustainable'' patterns of urban development will be investigated, especially possible interventions taking into consideration the land policy and management. As the case study the selected site within the Ljubljana Urban Region will be investigated and represented as a sustainable district development with the feasible implementation of the instruments of land policy.
The basic application goal of this research project is to answer the following question: which changes should be impleneted in the spatial system in order to synergistically connect the relatively developed informational infrastructure, variety and richness of spatial, environmental qualities and developmental resources of Republic of Slovenia.
