Among numerous global and local challenges, sustainable land use management and spatial planning are crucial for setting a path for human development. Transformations in land use and land cover (LULC) patterns can result from changes in socio-economic systems and policy reforms, which are particularly notable in post-Communist countries. This study employs Urban Atlas (UA) data to compare land use changes that occurred between 2012 and 2018 in the Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) of the historical Banat region, specifically Zrenjanin FUA in Serbia, and Timișoara FUA in Romania. The methodological framework comprises two principal components: (1) a comparative analysis of the share of each UA level within the FUAs and (2) the calculation of Land Take (LT) levels, LT ratios, and demographic LT ratios. The results reveal that artificial surfaces cover a third of the Timișoara FUA, and around 5% of the Zrenjanin FUA. Furthermore, during the reference period, almost no changes regarding the shares of UA levels were recorded in Zrenjanin FUA. On the other hand, Timișoara FUA showed an increase in the artificial surfaces by 2.1%, while the share of agricultural areas decreased by the same amount. The LT ratio suggests that the values of Timișoara FUA are 45 times higher than those for the Zrenjanin FUA, while the demographic LT ratio is twice as high in Timișoara FUA. One of the main reasons for this is depopulation in Zrenjanin FUA and urban decline, while the population growth in Timisoara FUA conditions the process of urban expansion. The analysis of local indicators, demographic indicators, LT and LULC changes must be taken into account while planning sustainable land use.
Natalija Nikolić (Wed,) studied this question.