Urban vhaos as a vonsequences of post-socialist Montenegrin urban policy: the case study of Budva

Abstract

Urban development and planning in post-socialist countries, which have transitioned from centrally-planned to a market economy, have not received substantial attention in the academic literature. Centrally-planned systems influenced policy aspects, including urban development and transition of Eastern European countries such as former Yugoslavia and Soviet Union countries. This dissertation is focused on the Montenegrin urban development process in the post-socialist era to the analysis of this phenomenon. This was done by examining the case of the Montenegrin coastal city of Budva, which is renowned as the most impacted city of the new post-socialist urban policies. The methodology of this work is based on the use of discourse analysis of media articles, TV debates, investigative journalist broadcasts, legislation, spatial plans and expert interviews. The expert interviews were conducted with specialists who have decades of working experience in the field of urban development and planning in Montenegro. The main themes that emerged as the determinants of urban development and planning in Montenegro are 1) privatisation and restitution, 2) corruption, 3) illegal construction and acts, and 4) degradation of experts and citizens’ role in the urban planning process. The analysis found that urban development and planning in Montenegro, especially in the context of Budva, is a complex topic to investigate, themes that emerged are interconnected, highly politicized and urban policies shaped by the high officials who have utilized them the most by creating the personal benefits. Moreover, the findings showed that planning was not guided by plans or expertise but rather left to the will of investors and decision makers.