Urban-Rural Synergy in Shrinking Regions Through Application of e-co Model

Many regions worldwide are faced with the problem of shrinkage, manifested through demographic decline, economic loss, and perforation of the urban tissue. Starting from the assumption that the shrinking phenomenon is present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the research deals with the diagnosis of the shrinking condition in urban and rural areas of the northwest region of the country. In the light of the shrinkage problems, the chapter defines a new alternative model—e-co—which should enable the recovery from the crisis and restore the vitality of the region. The chance for recovery is recognized in the processes of rural urbanization and urban ruralization, the integration of rural values and urban advantages, the modern globality, and traditional locality.

Contemporary Rural Settlements

Throughout history, built environment developed intuitively on empirical experience led by trial and error. Such approach provided resilience and evolvement of patterns that guided spatial organization. Newer interventions in the rural environment resulted in disconnected spatial fragments. By comparing vernacular and contemporary planning and construction practice in the natural park Blidinje, the authors tried to identify the reason for which contemporary interventions resulted in new patterns in spatial planning, ones completely unfamiliar for this geographical area. They identified the reason in the fact that men started to treat the natural space as a commodity, forcing stakeholders to be led primarily by economic principles. Such principles are rigid and linear, instead of contextual in this matter. At the same time, the environmentally sound approach should respect complexity of whole endeavor aiming to achieve diversity and variability. The models developed based on complexity theory and self-organization should preserve continuity and integrity of the place and man.

Estimate of Energy Performance Indicator of Existing Single-Family Houses in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Yielding from an overall quantitative study of the residential sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), this chapter concentrates on the ratio between single-family and collective housing, as well as on the urban-rural ratio of the single-family housing. Based on the data from the existing building stock (buildings built by 2014) and the statistical estimates, 23% of the buildings belong to the urban areas and 77% belong to the rural areas. The main goal was to study the correlation between the characteristics of the building envelope, the shape factor (A/V ratio) and the energy savings potential for the application of conventional measures of refurbishment of the building envelope of the single-family houses (type of buildings, which dominate in rural and urban areas). The chapter wraps up with recommendations for the adequate level of the energy performance indicator (energy need for heating) for the approved energy class for single-family houses located in the climate zone of the northern B&H.

Upgrading the Building Facades in Low-Density Residential Areas

The most common action for the buildings' energy upgrade across Europe is the addition of thermal insulation on the external walls. Such interventions, although simple on their construction, cause significant changes on the building's behavior, not only on its energy needs, but also on the hygrothermal and visual performance. The effects are not always positive; for example, thicker insulation may result in lower thermal transmittance and better thermal energy performance, but on the other hand the thermal bridging effect is amplified, and the daylight levels are decreased. This research intends to quantify these impacts by analyzing the relevant parameters for different regions of Europe. The analysis aims at explaining the complicated interrelationships on the building physics' aspects encountered through interventions on the building envelope, but also at identifying appropriate measures that could counterbalance the negative impacts and enhance the overall building performance.

Visitor Centres as a Contribution to Improving Urban-Rural Relations

The architecture of public buildings in rural areas, through the advancement of skills, knowledge, technologies, and materials, has become increasingly representative in recent decades, especially considering tourism as a global theme. The work is related to the planning of visitor centers in rural areas and the main task is defined by the effort to improve the quality of life in such areas, that is, highlight the major advantages in space, such as the natural environment. The aim of the research is defined by establishing certain elements in the planning of the visitor centers within the idea of promoting local values and cultural heritage. The first part of the chapter has been defined as an analysis of the theoretical views. The second part of the study has been defined as an analysis of the visitor centers. Through a case study, in the third part of the chapter, the work presents a comparative overview of the process to achieve two individual similar investments in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Rural Tourism Development as a Catalyst of Urban-Rural Synergy in the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia

Rural areas in Serbia occupy about 3/4 of total country territory and they are home for almost half of total population. These areas are characterized by very heterogeneous environment with not expressed anthropogenic negative influence. Because of a few types of the settlements and very rich rural and natural landscapes, there are great opportunities for development of diverse economies, multifunctional use, and a variety of different activities. This chapter discusses rural tourism development in the Region of the Southern and Eastern Serbia and its impact on the urban-rural synergy. The main goal is to investigate the impact of the tourism development on the connections on the relation urban to rural on the example of this region, and to point out importance of this synergy for future balanced rural and regional development. Rural tourism represents drive for urban-rural synergy and it is one of the key factors of rural development.

Urban-Rural Synergy Between Housing Spatial Patterns and Landscape

The morphogenesis of the urban territory and its contact with the non-urbanized, natural environment of the wider metropolitan area distinguish issues of the synergy between landscape and spatial patterns in order to achieve their balance, optimization, and harmony. This chapter highlights the conceptual framework of landscape ecology as linking to place-based design approach for studying the synergy of landscape and housing spatial patterns in order to improve their integration in future perspective. The territory of the city of Belgrade is recognized as a specific spatial-morphological system that is a consequence of the urban-rural synergy between socialist housing settlements and environmental processes. The chapter points at the environmental and functional values of nature with a particular focus on housing typology in the process of urban planning and architectural design.

Information System Supporting Heterogeneous Sources for Promoting Destination of Rural Areas

Tourism in rural areas is considered small-scale tourism, which represents a strong potential for growth of areas traditionally characterized as agricultural areas. Rural tourism tends to be heterogeneous with many different and scattered stakeholders, making the efficiency and effectivity hard to achieve. Many ICT technologies have found their way into smart tourism. Even though there are plentiful user generated data and smart tourism applications, they represent a very heterogeneous sources that are challenging to integrate in one scalable system. The aim of this research is to propose a model for information system that will increase efficiency of the rural small-scale tourism by using both internal and external systems, such as social networks, local services, geotagged resources, sentiment analysis, and data- and text-based mining systems. The goal of this information system is to gather a rich database that will allow users to identify their next destination and to identify most valuable assets for each location in the region.

Changing Territories and the “Edge Effect” of the Re-Habited Industrial Structures

This chapter will examine the transition zones around the borderline of the legal perimeter defined by law and master planning of Skopje that have always played a role of interactive borderland in which the concept of interactivity and urban-rural-exurban synergy is applicable. Of particular interest is how edge position of certain abandoned structures, industrial areas in particular, in the period of post-socialist transition have affected use and movement patterns changing. These structures have originally influenced the surrounding area by their users, and now they are largely neglected or underused and need interventions of rehabilitation into beneficial use. The authors support the view that there is significance in conceiving of a “edge effect” of the re-habilitated social and industrial fringe structures. They find that they should be given more consideration in the context of new economies and innovative technologies which will enable rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the existing premises.

Urban-Rural Synergy Toward Human Well-Being

The cities are characterized by the rapid development of technologies and the inevitable expansion, which requires looking at ways to address new challenges and overcome the problems that have arisen. Living conditions may vary in many ways, depending on where people live, but the advantages and disadvantages in terms of comfort of human life can be recognized in both urban and rural environments, as analysis of case studies shows. Factors that occur in both areas and affect human life, comfort, and health are presented. The positive effects of rural areas and the advantages that cities have in terms of preserving human health are discussed in this chapter. By comparing the good characteristics of the urban and rural environment, the goal is to indicate some postulates that can be applied in preventive medicine.