Chapter 13
Megaprojects as an Instrument
of Urban Planning and Development:
Example of Belgrade Waterfront
Slavka Zekovi´ c, Tamara Mariˇ ci´ c and Miodrag Vujoševi´ c
13.1 Introduction
Megaprojects are considered as large-scale capital investments, single or multipurpose. They include infrastructure projects, transport projects, economic development, and urban redevelopment (including waterfront redevelopment). This research
is devoted to the analysis of UMPs as an instrument in the development of postsocialist cities, which are shaped by a mix of economic interests, socio-political and
institutional framework.
Huge investments, large and diverse risks and impacts of megaprojects have led
to a higher interest in their planning and management. The studies of megaprojects
worldwide (del Cerro Santamaria 2013; Flyvbjerg et al. 2003; Kennedy 2013) show
that the difference between the dominant regions of the Global North-West
1 and
South-East is not as large as it appears. Megaprojects usually involve “exceptional” forms of governance, and do not go through the normal channels (Kennedy
et al. 2014). The issues of high risks and uncertainty, cost underestimation and
overruns, low public informing, lack of transparency, social and environmental
impacts remain similar in countries with different institutional systems and level of
economic development.
In the post-socialist countries, transitional changes have created new power
relations between different groups involved in urban development and increased
1 This is a more precise North–South division in terms of macro-regionalization.
S. Zekovi´ c (B) · T. Mariˇ ci´ c · M. Vujoševi´ c
Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
e-mail: slavka@iaus.ac.rs
T. Mariˇ ci´ c
e-mail: tamara@iaus.ac.rs
M. Vujoševi´ c
e-mail: skomi03@gmail.com
© The Author(s) 2018
S. Hostettler et al. (eds.), Technologies for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91068-0_13
153
Megaprojects as an Instrument
of Urban Planning and Development:
Example of Belgrade Waterfront
Slavka Zekovi´ c, Tamara Mariˇ ci´ c and Miodrag Vujoševi´ c
13.1 Introduction
Megaprojects are considered as large-scale capital investments, single or multipurpose. They include infrastructure projects, transport projects, economic development, and urban redevelopment (including waterfront redevelopment). This research
is devoted to the analysis of UMPs as an instrument in the development of postsocialist cities, which are shaped by a mix of economic interests, socio-political and
institutional framework.
Huge investments, large and diverse risks and impacts of megaprojects have led
to a higher interest in their planning and management. The studies of megaprojects
worldwide (del Cerro Santamaria 2013; Flyvbjerg et al. 2003; Kennedy 2013) show
that the difference between the dominant regions of the Global North-West
1 and
South-East is not as large as it appears. Megaprojects usually involve “exceptional” forms of governance, and do not go through the normal channels (Kennedy
et al. 2014). The issues of high risks and uncertainty, cost underestimation and
overruns, low public informing, lack of transparency, social and environmental
impacts remain similar in countries with different institutional systems and level of
economic development.
In the post-socialist countries, transitional changes have created new power
relations between different groups involved in urban development and increased
1 This is a more precise North–South division in terms of macro-regionalization.
S. Zekovi´ c (B) · T. Mariˇ ci´ c · M. Vujoševi´ c
Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
e-mail: slavka@iaus.ac.rs
T. Mariˇ ci´ c
e-mail: tamara@iaus.ac.rs
M. Vujoševi´ c
e-mail: skomi03@gmail.com
© The Author(s) 2018
S. Hostettler et al. (eds.), Technologies for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91068-0_13
153