The problem of production of space and socio-spatial development of the rural settlements of the City of Zaječar

In this paper is researched connectivity of social space characteristics, demographic specificities and functional integration of Planinica, Lenovac and Lasovo into the network of settlements of the City of Zaječar. This paper is based on the hypothesis that social exclusion of rural settlements Planinica, Lenovac and Lasovo has produced specific social space, characterized by presence of demographic problems and problems with functional connections of these settlements, which led to a collapse of socio-spatial development and produced very low life quality level of families and households of the examined rural settlements. By using comparative method, a group of rural settlements from the sample in unfavorable social, demographic and functional position are compared with a control group of settlements in favorable position – Glogovica, Dubočane and Velika Jasikova. The comparison is made using two groups of indicators: demographic (number of inhabitants and indexes of its change, number of households and indexes of its change, average number of inhabitants per household) and life quality (percentages of beneficiaries of social assistance, percentages of dole and soup kitchen users in total population). As data sources were used census data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in periods 1991/2002. and 2002/2011. year, and data of the Department of Social Service of Zaječar from the year 2019. Also, the demographic size of settlements according to the latest Population Census (from 2011), number of beneficiaries of social assistance, beneficiaries of dole and soup kitchen service from 2019 were taken onto analysis. In that matter was tested adequacy and possibility of application of the model of community of settlements that is proposed in the actual Spatial plan of the City of Zaječar, and which represents an official approach to organization and integration of primary rural settlements in wider local and regional area. Theoretically, the analysis is based on the concept of semi-periphery of the world’s capitalist system. In that context, the whole territory of the City of Zaječar is located in double periphery - periphery of the world's capitalism and in marginalized region of the Eastern Serbia, as one of the most undeveloped parts of the Republic of Serbia. Multiplicated unfavorable position is even worse in the excluded rural settlements and generates social and demographic development differences, primarily by the market pressure boost