Spatial aspects of demographic processes in Serbia

In: Stanovništvo: Population = Naselenie, Band 56, Heft 2, S. 23-38

Open Access

Abstract

Changes in the trends, distribution and structures of the population
identified through censuses (such as the changes in total population,
gender, educational, age and other structures) are crucial for understanding
spatial phenomena and processes like urbanization. Numerous urban geography
studies researching the development of systems of settlements in former
Yugoslavia, which carried on in Serbia, were the foundation for a singular
theoretical and methodological framework for researching spatial phenomena
and processes focused precisely on the understanding of dynamic changes in
the structures of the population and their territorial manifestation. Other
than in scientific research, this approach found direct application in
spatial and urban planning, when defining the measures directing demographic
development, arrangement of urban functions, formation of a system of
settlements, planning infrastructure development, etc. More recently, this
theoretical and methodological framework was enhanced using GIS
technologies, which allow for the integration of spatial and statistical
data and provide for a powerful analytical tool. Data integration has
spurred new research on the correlation between demographic and spatial
phenomena and the mutual relationships and influences between spatial and
demographic development. This paper presents an overview of existing
research on the mutual influence between population development trends and
spatial changes manifest through the fluctuations in the intensity of
built-up areas, population density, infrastructure development, etc. A model
of population distribution was created by using selected census statistical
data and correlating them with phenomena in actual geospace. Emphasis is
placed on the significance of using this and similar models in further
research on the population?s impact on the environment, directing economic
development, protection in emergency situations, and numerous other areas.