Rajko Golić

This paper investigates the assessment and mapping of the spatial potential of the Pljevlja Municipality for the construction of photovoltaic solar power plants. This is of particular environmental and economic importance for this area, as it has traditionally always relied on coal exploitation. The methodological approach is based on the integration of GIS and multi-criteria analysis through the application of the Best–Worst Method. Key physical geographic and infrastructural criteria were considered: aspect and terrain slope, land use, distance from primary roads, settlements, and major watercourses. Environmentally sensitive and technically unsuitable areas, covering 33.7% of the municipality, were excluded from the analysis, while 47.7% of the territory was classified as low suitability. The results of the synthesis suitability map indicate that the Pljevlja Municipality possesses significant spatial resources for the development of solar power facilities. Specifically, areas with moderate suitability account for 17.4% of the territory, while zones with the optimal highest suitability cover 1.2%. Although the most favourable conditions occur across a relatively small part of the municipality, these areas represent strategically significant zones for photovoltaic development. The combination of high solar irradiation, flat terrain, and proximity to existing road infrastructure reduces overall investment costs. The obtained results and the generated GIS model provide a useful preliminary basis for local governments, spatial planners, and potential investors, enabling informed decision-making in the process of sustainable energy development and the diversification of the energy sector of the Municipality of Pljevlja.

The article presents a systematic and critical theoretical–methodological review and conceptual synthesis of the region as a fundamental analytical category and the central subject matter of regional geography. The primary objective of the study is to critically re-examine and conceptually redefine the region through an ontological and epistemological analysis of classical and contemporary geographical paradigms. The study is based on a qualitative interpretative methodology that combines analytical–synthetic, historical–genetic, comparative, critical, and conceptual approaches in order to examine the ontological and epistemological foundations of the region within classical and contemporary geographical thought. The region is conceptualized as a complex, multilayered, and dynamic socio-spatial entity whose ontological status has continuously evolved—from the essentialist notion of an objective spatial reality characteristic of classical geographic paradigms toward a relational and constructivist concept shaped by the interaction of social practices, political processes, and identity articulations within contemporary theoretical frameworks. Attention is also given to the epistemological foundations of regional knowledge, linking various modalities of the production and interpretation of scientific knowledge. Furthermore, the paper examines the roles of power, knowledge, identity, and institutionalization in the formation of regions, as well as the significance of centripetal and centrifugal forces in maintaining or destabilizing regional coherence. The research challenges traditional concepts of the region and proposes its redefinition in accordance with contemporary approaches that conceptualize it as an open, fluid, and context-dependent analytical framework. In conclusion, from the perspective of new regional geography, the region is interpreted as an emergent relational configuration whose understanding requires a broad interdisciplinary and critical approach.

Rural depopulation, which has affected the hilly and mountainous parts of Serbia in recent decades, has resulted in the complete or almost complete extinction of rural settlements and the creation of abandoned areas. This process is most pronounced in the peripheral and border regions of southern, southeastern and southwestern Serbia, but is gradually spreading to other parts of the country. The causes and consequences of abandonment have been relatively well studied; however, insufficient attention has been paid to the development perspectives of abandoned areas and to the possibilities of utilizing their resources. The natural and anthropogenic resources of abandoned areas represent a potential that, with appropriate guidance and planning, could be utilized for future socio-economic development. An analysis of planning documents of national and local authorities indicates that significant attention is declaratively devoted to rural development, but in practice it is often different. The centralization of decision-making in certain fields reduces the competencies of local self-governments, which, burdened by numerous development problems, direct their limited budgetary resources toward more promising parts of rural areas, while abandoned areas remain marginalized and are treated as a burden and a problem rather than as a resource. There are no realistic prospects that this situation will change significantly in the near future. The utilization of resources in abandoned areas is left to ad hoc practices and to the initiative of individuals and entrepreneurs, often accompanied by conflicts of interest among different stakeholders and by non-compliance with environmental protection measures.

Global energy demand is steadily increasing, accompanied by a growing emphasis on clean and renewable energy sources. Serbia possesses significant solar energy potential, with solar radiation levels among the highest in Europe—about 40% above the European average. Within this context, rural depopulation clusters offer attractive opportunities for solar energy development due to the availability of underutilized land. This study aims to identify optimal locations for solar power installations in Serbia’s depopulated areas by applying multi-criteria decision-making methods under uncertainty. A hybrid framework, combining fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy MULTIMOORA, was employed to evaluate potential sites. Fuzzy AHP was used to determine the relative importance of criteria, while fuzzy MULTIMOORA ensured a robust ranking of alternatives by addressing the vagueness in data and expert judgments. The analysis identified several high-potential brownfield locations, with the most suitable land class covering 5.01% (16.94 km²) of the examined cluster area (311.3 km²). These areas are typically characterized by flat terrain, high solar irradiation, and minimal environmental constraints, providing favorable conditions for solar farms. Among the assessed sites, location no. 9 consistently ranked highest across all three fuzzy MULTIMOORA variants: FRPA (z = 0.0588), FRS (y = 0.2811), and FFMF (p = 1.6748). The findings confirm that the hybrid fuzzy AHP–MULTIMOORA approach offers valuable support for informed decision-making on solar energy deployment in depopulated rural regions. Moreover, the utilization of rural brownfield sites contributes to the expansion of renewable energy, rural revitalization, and sustainable land management in Serbia.

The rural border areas of Serbia have been undergoing significant demographic shifts and transformations in land use. Between 2002 and 2022, these regions experienced a continuous population decline, an increase in the average age, and a growing share of single-person households. Simultaneously, there has been a reduction in agricultural land and a noticeable expansion of forested and grassland areas, particularly in hilly and mountainous terrain. This paper aims to explore the interrelationship between demographic indicators and land cover changes in these areas. Pearson’s correlation analysis was applied to data from the national population censuses and the CORINE Land Cover datasets for 1990 and 2018. The strongest positive correlation was found between the decline in the number of households and the reduction in agricultural land. Conversely, the expansion of forested areas showed a negative correlation with most demographic indicators. The findings reflect trends similar to those observed in other Eastern European countries but also reveal specific patterns of spatial marginalization unique to Serbia. In the study, the conclusion leads to the idea that depopulated border areas are in transition between past and future functions that will be influenced by their resource base.

Geographic distance between certain parts of the World during most of human history had the function of a barrier and reduced the possibilities of communication between them. The impossibility of quickly overcoming large distances and information exchange was the main obstacle to connecting distant societies and the main brake on the establishment of global connections. Advances in transportation technologies in the 20th century eased spatial barriers to some extent. But only with globalization, the emergence of the Internet and the development of information technologies at the end of the 20th century, the concept of geographic distance was radically changed and physical distance as a barrier was eliminated to a significant extent; terms like cyberspace, virtual reality, deterritorialization, etc. were created. Today, when social networks enable instant communication on a planetary level, in people's minds the compression of time and space leads to a completely different understanding of distance and its relativization. The increasingly easy transport of people and goods over long distances, the explosive growth of information and communication technologies and other phenomena contained in the term globalization have led many authors to discuss the diminishing importance of geographic distances as significant forces in driving economic and social activities. The concept of the "death of distance" and the "end of geography" were developed, which imply that in the modern world geographic distance is no longer important, because interpersonal communication and economic activities are increasingly transferred from real physical to virtual digital space. This paper critically examines these concepts, with the aim of proving how, even in conditions of total global networking, geographic distances still play a significant role in interpersonal relations and global economy.

The paper analyzes the processes and intensity of changes in land use regarding the regional development in the eastern part of Srem. The regional development axis Belgrade - Novi Sad represents one of the most dynamic regional entities in Serbia. Intensive socio-economic development, expressed above all through the opening of industrial zones, is the result of favourable geographical position along the transport corridor and the proximity of the two largest regional centers in Serbia - Belgrade and Novi Sad. The paper analyzes the area of the three municipalities: Inđija, Stara Pazova and Surčin. The aim of the work is to determine the changes in the structure of land use, their intensity as well as the causes of socio-economic changes in the researched area. Using the CORINE land cover database, a territorial and chronological analysis of the studied area (for the period 1990-2018) was performed with the help of the landscape development index. Also, data on population employment for the period 2011-2022 were analyzed for each of the mentioned municipalities. Given that the studied area is one of the most agriculturally important regions in Serbia, there is also a conflict in the way land is used.

Due to the long-term demographic depopulation of settlements, depopulation clusters are observed in Serbia after the 2022 census - areas with 20 or fewer inhabitants or without inhabitants. The areas of depopulated settlements are growing territorially and continue to increase from south towards the North of the country. While the built-up area on the left is expanding around the large cities and around the main roads in Serbia, geographically and functionally isolated villages and smaller towns are being covered by natural vegetation. Even in urban areas, there is a polarisation of highly desirable and sought-after space and undesirable space in a very small area, which is reminiscent of similar phenomena in other countries. In view of population decline, the management of natural resources at all levels of planning and administration is one of the most important issues in spatial planning. In this paper, changes in vegetation cover in depopulated clusters were analysed based on time series data and a formal database of natural resources of depopulated municipalities. It also analysed the correlation of several factors linking population decline to environmental changes. The aim of the work is to determine the natural potential of depopulation clusters in the areas of arable land, mineral resources, renewable energy sources, thermo-mineral sources and forest funds, as well as the way they are currently managed.

The article deals with the complex dynamics of depopulation in rural areas in Serbia. Although the topic has been very topical in recent decades and research has long identified the causes and consequences of depopulation in numerous regions in Europe, there seems to be no systematic approach to the implementation of policies for the management of abandoned areas. We started from already known factors contributing to depopulation, including economic, social and environmental dimensions. Based on previous research, historical trends and a statistical database, we attempted to represent depopulation as a spatial process that has its own size, structure and consequences, using a new, quantitative methodology for grouping abandoned areas into clusters as basic units of dispersal of depopulated areas. The aim of the work was to quantitatively determine the size and structure of the depopulated area in Serbia after the 2022 census. The study opened up new fields of research for the future use of depopulated space, but also offered certain solutions for policy makers, researchers and municipalities struggling with the challenges of depopulation. The results of the work show the existence of 47 abandoned clusters in 10 administrative regions of Serbia, which is 17 more than in the 2011 census. Further homogenization and consolidation of clusters was found in the statistical regions: Toplička, Zaječarska, Jablanička, Pirotska and Raška region, i.e. an increase in the total depopulated area as well as its spatial expansion towards the north of the country.

Tourism is a significant segment of development policy at the national level, and it is important in terms of contributing to the Gross domestic product (GDP) diversifying of economy, reducing disparities between regions, fostering development capital, and promoting regional development. Tourism greatly contributes to the sustainable development of a region and a unit of local self-government, in an environment where sometimes there are no other alternatives for achieving that goal. Theories of regional development and tourism have evolved over a similar period after the Second World War. The concept of regional development has undergone a significant transformation through various theories. The paper analyzes the main principles of the theory of endogenous regional development and the possibility of its application for tourism research as a development factor. Tourism development policy is often created by the views of these theories. The purpose of this paper is to indicate, based on the analysis of modern ideas and approaches to regional development, whether they are suitable for the study of tourism and which factors are decisive in achieving its development function. The paper points out certain elements of theories that can individually or together represent the theoretical basis for tourism development planning in regions and local government units.