**2.1 The basic policies of urban transformation**

This chapter presents the key historical events and pillars of urban change from 1940 to 2015. The end of World War II was the first beginning of urban reconstruction. The urban and spatial changes that took place in the Balkan region are related to the general social and economic developments in the Ottoman Empire as well as the nationalist aspirations of the Balkan countries. The appearance of capitalism in the regions was associated with the development of a new urban environment [1].
