TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT TROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKING – „NEGOTINSKA KRAJINA “CASE

Like many other rural regions in post-socialist countries, Negotinska krajina wine region faces serious decline in wine production and severe depopulation. In order to reverse these negative trends, strengthening local capacities, through development of social networks, exchange and transfer of knowledge, expertise and know-how, is recognised in planning theory and practice as vital for more sustainable development of rural regions. This paper presents a process of developing a complex and dynamic model of collaboration between local institutions, companies and communities from Negotinska krajina region and Serbian and Italian academic and scientific institutions, experts and companies, in order to achieve: a) Increased transfer of knowledge, experiences and practices of local representatives and wine growers from Negotinska krajina region and partners; b) Increased know-how transfer among academic partners and practical knowledge transfer among local public, private and civic stakeholders and academic institutions from Serbia and Italy; c) Institutionalized inter sectorial collaboration and "city to city" cooperation. Some of the partners in this collaboration are: University of Belgrade-Faculty of Architecture; Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning in Alghero, University of Sassari; Municipality of Negotin, Municipality of Alghero, Fondazione De Vittorio (ex IRES – Istituto Ricerche Economiche e Sociali); Department Planning Design Technology of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome; Cantina Santa Maria La Palma – Società cooperativa Agricola per azioni; Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade; University of Belgrade-Faculty of Philosophy, and Italian Embassy in Belgrade.