The Cooperation & Development Center (CODEV) of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in collaboration with the Institute for Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS), has received funding from SCOPES «Scientific co-operation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland» (SNSF – SDC) 2013-2016 Institutional Partnership programme regarding the research project “SPUDS – Support to Process of Urban Development in Serbia”, no. 160503 (http://p3.snf.ch/Project-160503) for the period 2015-2018

According to the nomenclature of the SNSF, the SPUDS project is a part of Social sciences research field, with the main discipline 10407 Architecture and Social urban science.

The research coordinator and the main applicant is Prof. Dr Jean-Claude Bolay, director of CODEV, supported by Dr Tamara Maričić, co-coordinator and the leader of IAUS team.

The Scientific Committee of the project includes: Prof. Dr Jean-Claude Bolay, Adjunct Professor, Dr Slavka Zeković, Scientific Adviser, Dr Tamara Maričić, Research Fellow and Dr Marija Cvetinović.

The aims of the SPUDS project are: support a gradual building of a new heuristic approach to urban issues in the post-socialist transition context in Serbia; empowerment of scientific community dealing in topics urban development, governance, urban management, urban planning methods and instruments, stakeholders and NGO; exchange and transfer knowledge - support to institutional and individual research capacities related to urban development in the post-socialist society, and research equipment for IAUS (IT infrastructure and equipment, books).

Collaboration of IAUS and EPFL focuses on: knowledge transfer (urban planning methods, instruments and tools) based on sustainable and resilient urban development, in accord to post-socialist reforms and changes; urban planning governance; defining major criteria for legal constrains in urban planning and strategic projects; exchange of experiences on new governance model, arrangements and mechanisms for addressing: politically and economically motivated decision-making, weak rule of law, weak evaluation system of plans, policies and projects, insufficient institutional regulation, and illegal and irregular land-use and building; knowledge transfer on increasing public participation and transparency in urban decision making and institutional regulation; establishment and promotion of online database for efficient urban plans implementation and governance, creating the long-term partnership between IAUS and EPFL, as well as to support networking of urban planners from Serbia and Switzerland.

All research activities are categorized in thematic entities according to the systematization of ongoing urban issue in Serbia and the identified goals of this institutional partnership.

Activities are structuralized in:

- four Service packs (1. Urban planning methods and instruments in metropolitan/urban governance in postsocialist cities – case study Belgrade; 2. New governance model, arrangements, mechanisms for decision making and institutional regulation; 3. Public participation and transparency in urban decision making; 4. New web-technology for efficient urban plans implementation and governance),

- four Work packages (Workshop for urban planning and architecture experts from Serbia/IAUS in Belgrade; workshop for MSc students in Belgrade; workshop for students at EPFL; round table with international experts in Belgrade; etc.),

- two Field works (study visit of some locations of urban conflicts in Belgrade, as well as to some urban institutions in Serbia), four Milestones, two Follow-up activities, as well as dissemination of results.

Within the period of three years (2015-2018), this collaboration addressed: urban planning methods and instruments for urban research in a post-socialist transition context; public participation and transparency in decision making, tracing power relations in the real estate market, identifying legal constraints when dealing with the lack of social impact assessment and maladjustment of urban and strategic projects. While revolving around the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience, reached results of scientific work will be officially present through: (1) publication(s), study visits, workshops, trainings, round table, conferences (2) booklet of recommendations, and (3) an online database.

This bilateral partnership programme is based on the systematization of ongoing urban issues in Serbia, performed within the PhD research of Marija Cvetinović, doctoral assistant at CODEV (directly related to the research project No. 100013_152572 26: Urban Development Model of a Post-socialist City in a Transitional Country: Case Study of Savamala Neighbourhood, Belgrade, Serbia).