SummaryIn this paper, we investigate global and local stability of columns with an open and a closed thin-walled cross section. The proposed model of global stability is made of two deformable elements connected with an elastic joint. Stiffness of the elastic joint represents local discontinuity of the cross section of the column caused by the loss of stability of individual plates. The model of local stability of the columns is conceptualized on the principle of continuity of individual plates of the cross section. The coefficients of local buckling are defined as geometric parameters of the column with a rectangular hollow section (RHS) and a U-shaped cross section. The dominant parameters that influence the interactive behaviour of local and global buckling are the slenderness of plates and the column as a whole. The basic function of the developed models is to identify the stability mechanism in terms of better estimation of the critical force and higher load capacity.

Due to the emergence of a new way of shaping settlement space, process when the basic characteristics of the traditionally formed blocks are lost, an idea about searching the role of the urban and rural block in forming the structure and the identity of a settlement is initiated.1 The basic aim of the research is to prove that the block has always been an integral part, and sometimes even inseparable part of a settlement structure, its recognizable element and a significant place of neighboring, and that due to this it is important to preserve its values in future interventions in settlements. In order to understand the cause for the disappearance of the traditional block, its characteristics have been researched in the settlements from the past and the interdependence between the forms of settlements and the blocks has been established

Pristupačni javni prostori predstav­ljaju osovinu stvaranja zdravog društvenog sistema. Pri­menom principa univerzalnog dizajna na javnim površi­nama ostvaruje se integracija svih grupa građana u društvo i na taj način se izbegava diskriminacija istih. Predmet istraživanja smešten je u kontekst savremenog čoveka i promena koje su se događale u svim aspektima života ostavljajući značajan uticaj na svakodnevno funkci­onisanje stanovnika. Rad se fokusira na adaptaciju urba­nističkih elemenata obuhvatajući različite potrebe, mo­gućnosti i navike modernog čoveka, u cilju obezbeđivanja uslova za stvaranje inkluzivnog društva bez diskrimi­nacija.

Main city stations of public transport represent focus points in a settlement and they are the travelling starting points of tourists and visitors. There are knots of different traffic aspects on those locations. The first impression of a place, especially when it comes to urban structures, is formed exactly in these places of gathering of a large number of people who use the collective intercity, and then the city public transport. The quality of the immediate surroundings affects the first impression of the city and thus contributes to the character of the settlement's image. Surroundings are shaped by many factors of the built and natural environment, such as urban elements and details, architecture, transport and information infrastructure, natural elements and many others. Thoughtful orchestration of all elements increases the accessibility and functionality of space, at the same time creating a harmonious and ambient environment that, for many people, represents the first contact with the city. With its position and hierarchy, in the sense of economy and politics, Novi Sad caused people of different ages and demands to gravitate towards it, where a large number of periodical migrations mostly went through bus and railroad traffic. This very fact requires the necessity of planned design and shaping of the area around these important infrastructure facilities, as well as a thoughtful construction of connections with the rest of the city, especially when it comes to traffic crossroads and junctions of different types of transport. In this paper, urban parameters of traffic, purpose of areas, spaces for socialization, content and ambience of the traffic objects surroundings are analyzed and valorised. The conclusion is that they are well planned, but not functionally organized enough and that they represent potential places for development.

The design of areas important for orientation in a city, the formation of the city image and collective identity, which at the same time become gathering places, depends on overlapping of numerous parameters and complex influances. Focal Landmark points can be either built or undeveloped structures that, with their program, content, morphological and ambient characteristics have a strong attraction power. They are a specific category, which, apart from the fact that they stand out in visual terms, have a social character, thus social interaction in the city takes place in them. The position of these focal points in the physical structure of the settlement, as well as their shape and size, influence the possibility and quality of their notion and perception. The research deals with parameters that influence the comprehensiveness of the-focal landmark points in the central area of Novi Sad. It is seen as an area in which numerous complex architectural and urban elements that make up this category are concentrated. The position within the wider context contributes to the highlighting or merging of these important places in the city tissue. This helps to unambiguously define whether a particular structure is a landmark or not. Different factors influence the way of highlighting the focal landmark points, among which are: height, shape, size, materials, color, position, as well as the existence of visual points, which allow them to be perceived. Detected areas will be classified and valued according to the way they stand out, how they are spotted and perceived in the urban tissue, and the influence they have on socializing within the analyzed areas, from the perspective of the users, their number, the time of stay and the frequency of gathering in them. The connection between the quality of the comprehensiveness of the important elements of space and their development into the focal landmark points within the microunit, the historical and cultural center of the sity will also be investigated.