Integrating Tourism into Sustainable Urban Development: Indicators from a Croatian Coastal Community

Abstract

This case study gives an example how the cities of post-socialistCroatia could use urban indicators for monitoring and measuring theprogress toward sustainability. Such information would enable plannersand decision makers to formulate redistributive policies and programsaddressing some of the disparities that exist in a post-socialist city.It focuses on the current situation in the emerging Croatian coastalcity of Zadar, which reflects the diversity of the post-socialist urbanchange in a very fragile Mediterranean landscape. It describes theparticipatory approach through which different local communities wereevaluating the quality of life based on five basic pillars ofsustainability. Through direct participant involvement and in-depthinterviews, the research team has managed to develop a structured andmultilayered GIS database suitable for decision makers at the city andlocal levels. The conceptual implications of the findings contribute torebuilding of ``bottom-up{''} participatory approach in the process ofcreation and management of urban spaces.