Daily movements between places of residence and work are increasingly reshaping Serbia’s settlement system, with Belgrade emerging as a key node directing spatial and demographic flows. These processes will be the focus of a lecture by Marko Filipović, Research Associate at the Centre for Demographic Research, titled “Between Place of Residence and Workplace: Commuting and the Functional Transformation of the Settlement System in Serbia”.
Drawing on contemporary spatial-demographic trends, the lecture will shed light on the growing functional integration of settlements through daily commuting, as well as on the transformation of urban systems in a post-socialist context. Particular attention will be paid to the functional interdependence of settlements, the daily redistribution of population, and the structural characteristics of commuters.
Research findings indicate that the traditional hierarchical model of settlements is gradually being replaced by a network-based system grounded in intensive daily mobility, linking urban cores with their functional hinterlands. Processes of metropolization and suburbanization further reinforce the gravitational pull of major urban centers, while peripheral areas simultaneously experience demographic decline and weakening functional autonomy.
An analysis of day–night population dynamics reveals significant spatio-temporal differences: central zones record high daytime concentration due to work and service-related activities, whereas residential areas dominate during nighttime hours. In this context, Belgrade’s daily commuting system stands out as a key driver of spatial interactions and transformations, whose influence extends beyond administrative boundaries and shapes broader functional urban regions.
The lecture by Marko Filipović is part of a series introducing newly appointed researchers at the Institute of Social Sciences, offering insight into complex patterns of population mobility and their role in redefining Serbia’s contemporary settlement system.