Population in spatial plans in the Republic of Serbia: Current state, dilemmas, and possibilities

The main goal of all spatial planning activities is to improve the quality of life of the population in the planned territory. The population, through its size, structure, and dynamics, determines the needs for infrastructure, public services, housing stock, economic activities, etc. In the context of spatial planning, the population appears both as a subject and as an object of planning. The segment relating to the population is an integral part of spatial plans at all territorial levels and represents a part of the broader field that also encompasses the settlement network and public services. However, an analysis of national, regional, and local plans in the Republic of Serbia shows significant differences in the way this segment is treated, as well as the limited applicability of certain analyses and projections, which indicates a lack of methodological and terminological consistency. The subject of this paper is the examination of how this segment of spatial planning is addressed, both through analysis and assessment of the current state, defined objectives and planned solutions, as well as the proposed implementation measures, and also its alignment with other segments of the plan. The primary aim of the paper is to, based on the results of the conducted analysis, draw conclusions and provide recommendations for improving spatial planning practice in the population segment. The main conclusion is that the population segment must be understood as a prerequisite and an important determinant for forming optimal planning proposals and in this sense, it must precede the processing of other segments of the plan and be maximally aligned with the current demographic data.