Planning regulation of spatial aspects of the development is achieved by a multidisciplinary activity, which is officially knowen as Spatial Planning.

The main role of the Spatial Planning is to promote long-term and sustainable socio-economic development and to prevent and control the harmful affects on the environment, in order to establish a balance between the available physical space, economic and demographic development, natural and cultural resources.

The subject of Spatial Planning includes:

• Guiding the overall development in terms of population distribution and activities,
• Organization, and vertical and horizontal plan of the settlement’s system and the network of infrastructure systems, and
• Balancing the relations between the features of the listed elements.

 

The fundamental aspect of Spatial Planning as its basic characteristic, defines the tasks, which include:

• Tendency to achieve a functional, economical and humane environment in the planning area
• Harmonization of the potentials and demands that the specific community sets in relation to the future development of the given planning area
• Transition of the accepted guidelines on socio-economic development in regards to the specialised and technical aspects that refer to the spatial organization of a certain area;
• Regulation of relations between the society, production and the environment in order to achieve synchronisation which will be in favor of the well-being of the population of the planned area.

In addition to the introduction of the environmental aspects in spatial planning on a large scale, which progressively become part of the integrated spatial-urban-environmental approach, another typical feature of the new concepts and models is the significant inclusion of certain economic and social aspects in the planning process.

Spatial planning is mainly an activity of the State and represents its highest public interest, determined by a special law. The State can represent the interests of the community at various levels, it also coordinates the actions of individuals and groups, and considers the long-term consequences of those actions.

The planning system is a method, through which the public sector (the State) at different levels  influences the private and public activities by governing, establishing rules, regulations and initiatives.

The specific nature of Spatial Planning can be seen through some basic and essential principles. It uses all the general principles that are characteristic of all types of planning, but apart from them, it also uses principles that emphasize the specific features of the Spatial Planning, such as:

• the principle of integrity and interdisciplinarity,
• the principle of durability,
• the principle of permanent or continuous planning,
• the principle of science or creativity,
• the principle of democratically based planning,
• the principle of growth,
• the principle of objectivity,
• the principle of measurability, manageability and applicability,
• the principle of engagement, objectivity, resilience, criticism and other principles.

The spatial planning activity includes the following activities

• development of the Spatial Plan of the State;
• elaboration of the Spatial Plan of the State;
• creating documents related to the current spatial aspects needed for the pre planning process;
• monitoring the implementation of the Spatial Plan of the State;
• preparing expert analyses, studies, reports and information in the field of spatial planning.