The basin of the river Noguera Ribagorzana is located in the southern slope of the Pyrenees. Both its physical characteristics (i.e. extremely fragmented relief – Solé, 1964) and its early intensive water resource exploitation for hydropower purposes (Vallès, 1949) particularly well reflect how complex interactions between river systems and human communities can be. Furthermore, this 140-km-long river politically divides two historical regions, Aragon and Catalonia, already since the 14^th century, the current administrative border running along the river course still today (Tort, 2000). Governance is, thus, a third component decisively contributing to the complex management of the area (Sancho & Tort, 2012).

This paper focuses on three issues that are intimately connected to the above-announced geo-historical features of the river basin, namely: 1) the management of its water resources, which is clearly marked by major hydropower infrastructures incl. four major dams and a long underground channel with a deep negative impact on nature and human activities; 2) environmental challenges derived from constant river flow fluctuations, which ultimately jeopardise the region’s opportunities for economic diversification; and 3) governance challenges inherited from the region’s border character, which hinders coherent territorial management approaches.

Based on this diagnostic, and being fully aware of the immense challenges of this peripheral region, we offer a series of principles of action for the future. Such principles seek to improve the effectiveness of public policies that have an impact on the territory in question. This paper shows the results of years of integrative geographical research on-site, including two dissertations, manifold publications, and two research projects, the second one still undergoing, devoted to the impact of public policies in border areas in Spain.

This study is an interdisciplinary research between urbanism (urban studies, planning, and design) and geography.

Perhaps it is obvious that the two disciplines have many intersections. Urbanism is very much like geography in its complexity and interdisciplinarity. Geography, as a system of sciences that investigates phenomena in a spatial dimension, is an excellent basis for developing competences in urban science and practice.

In their theoretical and methodological approach, both are spatio-territorial sciences, since urbanism focuses on city territory and space, while geography focuses on the territory and space of the Earth's geographic sphere. In both these disciplines, graphical solutions - maps, plans, drawings, and diagrams - are an important methodological and applied expression. However, geography is more of a theoretical science, whereas urbanism is more concerned with practical activities.

One of the common aspects of the discipline's research and practice is the cultural landscape. Landscapes created by humans and reflecting their coexistence with the environment are dominant in the modern world, making their understanding an important and relevant scientific field.

This work is an overview study of the concept of cultural landscape and a systematic identification of the objects/scales and tools/instruments used by geographers and urbanists in cultural landscape research. The main objectives of this study are to promote interdisciplinarity and to define the points of convergence and possible divergence between these disciplines on this subject. This study is mainly based on the Lithuanian research perspectives of the cultural landscape, but they are complemented by other European and global approaches.

: Serbia is a country with extremely unfavorable demographic trends and at the same time faced with numerous environmental challenges. Both components of population dynamics, natural increase, and migration balance, caused a reduction trend in the total population of Serbia. In parallel, Serbia will become one of the areas to be greatly affected by climate change, especially in terms of rising average temperatures. This paper aims to examine whether there is a relationship between the components of population dynamics and certain parameters of climate change. Bearing in mind the demographic differentiation of the territory of Serbia, the paper focuses on the regional aspect with the aim to distinguishing homogenous areas in terms of population dynamics and climate parameters in the previous decade. The results showed that climate change affects the population dynamics of Serbian municipalities, especially the migration component. It has been shown that the increase in average temperature intensifies the spatial mobility of the population in the municipalities of Serbia. The capital Belgrade stand out as a "heat island" within Serbia with the highest immigration, while the municipalities of Eastern, Southeastern, and partially Western Serbia (predominantly hilly and mountainous areas) are characterized by significantly more favorable climatic parameters, but at the same time markedly unfavorable demographic trends (depopulation, negative migration balance, negative natural increase). This analysis raised questions for future research: first, whether the intensification of climate change and the worsening of environmental conditions in the capital city will change the population flows and direct them towards some environmentally acceptable areas of Serbia? Second, whether separating the direct and indirect effects of climate change on population dynamics would provide a clearer picture of this nexus?

Spatial planning in Serbia, as a discipline of applied geography, relies on the principles of integrative geography, connecting human and physical geography to address the complex relationships between people and their environment. This approach critically examines the interaction between society and nature, striving for balanced territorial development and the enhancement of the quality of life for the population in the planned area—an ultimate goal of all spatial planning efforts.

The emphasis of integrative geography on connecting social and natural systems is particularly relevant to contemporary challenges such as climate change, urbanization, and demographic shifts. Spatial planning provides a framework for addressing these challenges, as well as key issues of sustainability, resilience, and human and environmental health in a holistic manner.

The integrated nature of spatial planning in Serbia is reflected in its interdisciplinary methodology, which combines social, economic, and environmental dimensions to formulate spatial solutions. Spatial plans, based on extensive analyses, propose measures for sustainable resource management, a more balanced population distribution, infrastructure development, disaster risk reduction, and more. This creates a framework for aligning the needs of human communities with the capacities of natural systems, thereby ensuring a sustainable relationship between people and their environment.

However, the practical application of this integrated approach faces significant challenges. Horizontal coordination among sectoral policies—such as those related to population, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry, and environmental protection—remains weak. Sectoral documents often overlook spatial solutions, leading to conflicts in land use and resource allocation. Similarly, vertical coordination between national, regional, and local levels struggles with aligning priorities and ensuring cohesive policy implementation.

To enhance the integrated character of spatial planning, Serbia must prioritize harmonizing sectoral policies, strengthening regional planning capacities, and fostering intersectoral cooperation. Fully embracing the concepts of integrative geography would enable spatial planning to become a more effective tool for achieving sustainable development and improving the quality of life for people in the planned area—an ultimate goal of all spatial planning endeavors.