it created what created and we all witnessed to that.
And, what about profession? Let’s see: 

Ljilja Dmitrović, an architect
facts – An architect, Ljilja Dmitrović carried out the significant number of spatial – planning documents and hers reference list is a very impressive one. After completion of the Faculty of Architecture, she permanently works within the sphere of urban planning. She works within the Institute for Urbanism of RS since 1993 year, and today engaged as the head of Service for planning and designing.  
p.s – we are all her admirers, too.

• - ...about urban planning (why have you chosen the urban planning, and not designing?...what is an intrigue in that sphere of architecture, that is, with what challenges have you met as an architect in dealing with urban planning... What would be the differences between the theory and practice in the sphere of urban planning?)

LJ.Dmitrović, arhitect: I enrolled in the Faculty in 1978 year as the second generation of urban planners at the Faculty of Architecture, Sarajevo. During that time, we didn’t have a clear idea, so, maybe unintentionally, I found myself registered at the Department for urban planning.  
During my studies, I found an urban planning a rather abstract with an accent on theory.
After completion of my studies, when I started to work, I found out that it was more about multidisciplinary science, a very vital and very applicable one, and at same time a very creative too.
Urban planning at any period of time is the reflection of art, architecture, design, new technological achievements, new materials, and positive and negative social events. Therefore, it is reflection of needs, wishes and possibilities of citizens – especially in field of construction works and creation of the environment.  
Urban planner meets with different requirements of citizens, and one of them is: to live and work in a qualitative, working, pleasant and healthy environment, which at same time promising too.
Today, it increases an interest for environment, that is, a living space that will provide a comfortable place of residence, an adequate working environment and economic feasibility – benefit.
Economic feasibility, first of all, reflected in quantity of gross building surface – i.e. in as many squares...
Challenge for the urban planner and as well as difficulty for the one, presents the preparation of planning documents in terms of more qualitative overview of the space, necessities, opportunities and aspirations of `the participants` in the space; to include all elements of the profession in all thematic fields of the plan, and at same time to provide reality and realization of the plan.
Therefore, every planner should strive to solve the plan qualitatively also in sectional terms, in the way to be understandable for wide-scale population.

Today, the biggest problem of all towns is parking, since motorization degree has been increased considerably. Problem is the lack of green surfaces, children’s playgrounds and public surfaces that gives `the soul` to every town’s appearance, because the land owners, that is the clients, giving more priority to the structures and not to these surfaces. In our working environment, urban planners draw out the maximum in their work, since they are trying to reconcile the requirements of the town’s authorities, interest of the citizens – the clients, legal provisions, provide implementation of the plans, and finally to observe urban surroundings and improve it visually.

• Theory of urban planning is an accurate and conducting one. It is a creative and artistic, too.
• If there are properly settled all the fields within the urban planning, it could be achieved far better results in urban planning.
• However, theory and practice of urban planning are quite different recently. That difference induced with current laws that couldn’t be  avoided, but unfortunately, the practice denied most of legal provisions.
• Difference between theory and practice comes out the facts, that opportunities of the space are one thing, and aspirations, wishes and needs of the citizens are something different.
• Most of the clients with their construction `personal` requests, are only aiming at making the profit, at one-sided spatial planning – without  turning to the needs for spatial planning and planning of facilities.

Such approach of the clients makes urban planning difficult.

• How would you comment on the `media pursuit` against urban planning participants in Banjaluka?    

LJ.Dmitrović, arhitect: Honestly, I haven’t heard about `the media pursuit`, because I don’t read the newspapers that started that campaign.     It is the fact that the problems occurred within the urban planning as product of the law disregard. And, the laws are inadequate in some segments, because they don’t take into consideration the essence of urban planning problems.   
During the preparation of Laws, there are insufficiently consulted the experts that directly involved in procedure, and which in a competent way may identify the actual problems and dilemmas in urban planning, such as: specialists working in planner’s companies, in Municipal departments on issuing of urban planning and construction licenses, in property – legal service, the inspection’s bodies and in justice. Urban planning is the sphere of activity, in which the qualitative work and consistent obeying of the current laws that to a certain degree modified and supplemented, could be achieved great results. Every interruption in that `chain of activity` means the occurrence of problems.  
It is a fact that Law on construction land favors the ownership over land, and in terms of that, current investors make a big influence on urban planning designs.
Taking into account the ownership relations, we are found in situation that investor as land owner, in some way, with his `concrete requirements` order the urban planning rules, i.e. considerably making an impact on urban planning designs.
If, in individual cases, there are taken into consideration the financial resources of the investors, wishes disproportionate to existing space and situation, as well as in some cases the lack of proper information and knowledge about urban planning and architecture, we get an idea about today’s urban planning, about the appearance of towns and settlements, that is, artificial surfaces of inappropriate architectural modeling, with the lack of necessary associate facilities.
There is a lack of greenery, parking lots, children’s playgrounds, and in terms of the modeling of towns – especially the superstructures they are  constructed contrary to planning documents – urban planning and construction licenses. That means that individual clients, in cooperation with the  skilled craftsmen changing and ruining the original projects of buildings, and directly violate an architectural appearance of the structures, as well as the architecture of the town itself. It is a clear that these architectural problems could be avoided with setting up of the proper legal provisions in order to all participants should be consistent in the implementation of spatial planning documents, and to be disabled performing of any pressure to the authors of spatial-planning documents. Citizens must take part in the process of preparation and making of the plans, as well as in designing, but professional expert’s opinion should be taken as crucial and the most competent one. Therefore, sanctions were not applied properly for any departures from the law, and flexibility of Law shouldn’t be taken in terms of law violation, but in the `spirit of profession` to be provided the most optimal solutions for the clients. Since, planner’s goal isn’t to frustrate the requirements of the clients, but to direct them in an appropriate direction, i.e. towards the most optimal solution.

• Your references the best speak in favor of your work. Would you interpret some of them – Urban Planning Design of Brcko District, documentation for the area of Podgorica, RP `Slobomir` and RP of Bijeljina`s centers.

LJ.Dmitrović, arhitect: UP of Brcko District was adopted in July of this year. Planner’s work was a very specific one, since it involved District as specific part of territory, as well as for political arrangement of this territory.   Basic plan dated from 1996 year, undergone two corrections.
Exactly this modification of UP, presents the solution in the following planning period for a number of current problems (such as water intake zone `Plazulje`, Brcko port, working zone, surface for individual construction – legalization, bypass routes etc. ).
Thanks to the successful cooperation with the members of Brcko Department for spatial development, this plan was successfully completed.

Therefore,  we prepared some planning documents for towns outside our country, such as Podgorica, where the Institute for Urbanism was the contractor of following plans:

• Modification of GUP `Podgorica`,
• Preparation of Detail Urbanism plan «Zabjelo 8» and
• Modification of GUP `Tuzi`.

These plans had been carried out in longer period of time, because of many changes that occurred in political terms – especially when we were working on GUP `Tuzi`.
Together with expert’s team that made the contacts and worked in the field, it completed the modification of `GUP-a Podgorica` and `DUP Zabjelo 8`, and we desisted from the preparation of the modification of `GUP Tuzi`, since in meanwhile it changed the political structure, and that work has not been completed up today. Cooperation with the Podgorica Department for spatial development was a specific one, first of all because of somewhat different terminology, although in essence it involved the same planning documents, but their Law only in some segments different from ours. During the preparation of these plans, it occurred problems in planning of non-constructed area with a difficult ownership structure. Because of specific environment in Montenegro, it occurred lot of problems, such as the coordination of property issues. However, after a long coordination process, we succeeded in dealing with these issues.
I would stand out the Tuzi plan as an example of very specific plan in terms of natural characteristics, as well as anthropogenic ones (the way of population living). I could say that we had a really good cooperation and made pleasant impressions during preparation of that plan, but as I already said, the work has not been completed yet, because of new political circumstances.
Institute for Urbanism as well prepared the `RP Slobomir` and `UP of new town located along river Drina - called Slobomir. This was a very interesting plan, the construction of the new town, initiated by private investor Mr. Slobodan Pavlovic coming from Popovo, which currently lives in Chicago. His idea was to build up the new town showing up that Serbs are great and talented people, that is, Mr.Pavlovic emotionally attached to this area wanted to incorporate the elements of American towns into our area. Therefore, it was completed the development plan `Slobomir` on the surface of  46 hectares. One part of the town constructed on this very specific area, and regardless looking a little abstract, this town started to live. In view of very high level of underground waters and underground Drina that meandering there, there are lots of made-up grounds. Construction area is also specific one, because of many findings of geothermal springs. Development plan for this area gave all strengths and the final concept – that is, the elements required for construction of the town. In this area, it already developed the structure of bank, the structure for water supply and shopping center currently used as the university building. Modifications and amendments of RP `Slobomir` are in progress now, and Mr.Pavlovic has prepared some scheme elements, to achieve something really new in our country.
Regulation plan of Bijeljina centre prepared in 1998 year. Plan is a specific one, first of all for maximum construction degree of the area, and for constructed structure it is sometimes difficult to prepare planning documents for already constructed structure, especially that period brought many changes of ownership relations. This was the first plan prepared by IURS, in digital form. Certainly, there were made some corrections of this plan. After several years, upon request of citizens it  prepared the modifications of the plan, since Bijeljina municipality is an environment found in a permanent expansion because of big cash transactions, bringing about the new construction demands. Modification of the plan was prepared by the Institute for Urbanism of RS. Therefore, our firm is still engaged in that region working on many projects – such as:  modifications of UP `Janje` is currently in progress (settlement is 10km away from Bijeljina) and modifications of UP `Dvorovi` (spa complex `Dvorovi`).

• Architecture and fashion?

LJ.Dmitrović, arhitect: It is a fact that an architecture following fashion trends, which best reflected on the outlook of the towns. Every time carries its own characteristics – materials, development, forms, interiors...Architects are part of artistic spheres and inclination to the form, an ambient with possibility to deal with creation, bringing us to a logical conclusion that an architecture and fashion follow each other.
In fashion, people express themselves and their attitude to others, and their clothes speaking about themselves a lots. It is a fact that fashion as well depending on financial issues, and on living space and time in which people live. But, it is definitely `reflection of the personality`. Having enough money does not give an absolute possibility that fashion keeping up and finding out the most adequate expression. The same rule can be applied to an architecture.
It is inevitable that an architecture comes under the requirements of the investors, very often balancing on the border of `trash` (sometimes it is a real `trash`), because it is difficult for architects to point out the clients about mistakes, or in individual cases when money comes before the expertise. The same situation can be found in fashion.
Architects are in some way recognized by their attitudes and expression, and they actually prefer a specific fashionable style very similar to minimalism, and on the other side it happened an eruption of colors and merging of  incompatible things.  All that speaking about `the movement` as constant, what it used to be non acceptable, in these times it is desirable...
Both in architecture and in fashion, it can be found the harmony similar as in nature. We will never make a mistakes if we combine something that nature already combined, such as colors showing up in some seasons. And, as I already mentioned, that harmony from nature is often used both in architecture and in fashion. Architects, really, like to be recognizable and exactly their clothes showing that they only at first sight don’t want to be  `striking`, but basically they place themselves in the foreground.