Report from the Second Scientific Conference “Urban Security and Urban Development – UBUR 2022”

The second scientific conference “Urban Security and Urban Development” was held at the University of Belgrade – the Faculty of Architecture, on July 1, 2022. The conference has a national character with international participation, and it was prepared and realised in the organization of the Faculty of Security and the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade.

This was one of the first domestic in-person scientific conferences, after two years of work in an online environment, where more than 100 scientists, researchers and experts from various scientific fields gathered: architecture, security studies, political sciences, technical sciences, geography, ecology, forestry, sociology, military and other sciences, from state and private universities in Serbia (universities in Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar and the University of Defence), as well as in the region and beyond (universities in Ljubljana, Skopje, Banja Luka, Osijek, Podgorica, Sofia and Magnitogorsk – Russia), several institutes and other institutions, such as the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia in Belgrade.

Opening words were given by Prof. Dr. Ratko Ristić, vice-rector for international cooperation of the University of Belgrade, Asst.Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Ilić, vice-dean of the Faculty of Security, assoc.prof. Dr. Dušan Ignjatović, vice-dean of the Faculty of Architecture and assoc.prof. Dr. Svetlana Stanarević on the behalf of the organising committee of the Conference.

Keynote lectures opened the issues of “new urban challenges, policies and processes at the beginning of the 21^st century in European cities, with the possibility of adaptation”, i.e., “an integral consideration of the conception and articulation of space with a found measure of harmonising openness and flexibility with the components of unpredictability”. These keynote words belonged to senior scientific associate Dr. Nataša Pichler-Milanović and assoc.prof. Dr. Ana Nikezić. After their lectures, the conference participants had the opportunity to hear presentations by the authors of more than 40 works, organised in 7 in-person sessions and one online session.

The topics discussed at the Conference connected the field of security studies with urban space and its development in different ways, covering a wide range of issues, such as urbanisation of security, globalisation, urban development and transformation of cities. The most significant conclusion from the work of the Conference was singled out as the expressed desire and necessity of all participants to foster more multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in the joint activities of academic institutions, in order to adequately respond to the needs of society, community and individuals based on a greater degree of closeness and connection. This was especially highlighted in the closing words of the conference, given by Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Djukić.