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Poljička cesta 35, Split, Croatia

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Center for Transdisciplinary Promotion of Sustainable Development OdRaST

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Poljička cesta 35
21 000 Split

Head of the Center

Asst. Prof.  Ivana Restović, Ph.D.
irestovic@ffst.hr 

Deputy Head of the Centre

Josipa Jurić, Lecturer

jjuric@ffst.hr

 

ABOUT THE CENTER OdRaST

The green transition is one of the strategic priorities of the EU in the coming period, and sustainability is one of the key development principles. In order to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals, to implement the knowledge and develop the need for life in the only possible acceptable way, the idea of ​​establishing the Center for Transdisciplinary Promotion of Sustainable Development - OdRaST was born.

The OdRaST Center will promote the global sustainable development goals by connecting its three fundamental components: society, the environment and the economy, encouraging processes of awareness, reflection and efforts aimed at modern economic and social development in a protected environment.

 

CENTER OdRaST TASKS

The basic task of the OdRaST Center is to enable the promotion and realization of sustainable development goals not only through education, but also through the implementation of various activities of lifelong and socially useful learning, a transdisciplinary approach research, innovative and original projects, high-quality interactive forums among students and teachers of the Faculty , including employees of the University of Split. Special attention will be given to cooperation with local and wider community stakeholders, as well as experts of various profiles at the national and international level, with an emphasis on international cooperation with related centers and/or other institutions and faculties, which creates a basis for intellectual exchange and accumulation of contributions from different actors, disciplines, activities and institutions that see a certain problem from their own perspectives.

The establishment of the Center OdRaST is in line with the goals of the Development Strategy of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split 2021-2025. and with the Strategy of the University of Split 2021-2025.

 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The aspiration of modern society is to live in prosperity with economic development, respecting the needs of all people and preserving the environment, in other words to live in a sustainable way. The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in different ways depending on the viewing perspective, therefore there are numerous definitions of sustainable development in literature and everyday speech. However, each definition has in common the term balance, which refers to "satisfying the needs of the present generation, without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs."

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Ciljevi održivog razvoja

    

    Members of the Centre Council:

  1. Assoc. Prof. Ivana Restović, PhD, Head of the Centre
  2. Prof. Zorana Šuljug Vučica, PhD, Vice-Dean for Teaching and Student Affairs, ex officio member
  3. Assoc. Prof. Nikša Varezić, PhD, Vice-Dean for Research and International Cooperation
  4. Josipa Jurić, Lecturer, Deputy Head of the Centre
  5. Assoc. Prof. Bruno Ćurko, PhD
  6. Prof. Marita Brčić Kuljiš, PhD
  7. Assist. Prof. Mila Bulić, PhD
  8. Prof. Snježana Dobrota, PhD
  9. Assist. Prof. Marijo Krnić, PhD
  10. Assist. Prof. Toni Popović, PhD
  11. Assist. Prof. Ivana Jadrić, PhD
  12. Assoc. Prof. Dubravka Kuščević, PhD
  13. Josip Guć, PhD, Senior Assistant

 


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08.10.2026

OdRaST CENTRE AT EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS 2026

Assist. Prof. Toni Popović, PhD, a member of the OdRaST Centre of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, took an active part in the "European Heritage Days 2026" event and the accompanying conference "Contemporary Topics in Heritage for Sustainable Development", organized by the Institute for Development and International Relations in Zagreb on 24 September 2026. He gave a presentation entitled "Tradition Between Endogenous Experience and Tourist Commercialization: The Case of Rural Holiday Homes in Dalmatia".

The presentation drew attention to the theoretical and methodological neglect of the concept of tradition as an inescapable phenomenon of social life, and to the need to rethink it in a contemporary social context, drawing on the approaches of authors such as Popper, Shils, and Giddens. It highlighted the potential of tradition in thinking about social development, and rural development in particular, with rural tourism emerging as one of the significant economic development opportunities.

Although empirical findings point to considerable development potential in tradition and in rural holiday homes, which are widespread in the hinterland, along the coast, and on the islands, individual entrepreneurial initiatives lack a broader rural policy framework. Such a framework should encompass a range of economic activities, rather than being confined to agriculture alone, as well as the various spheres of rural life, including the economy, infrastructure, ecology, and the overall quality of life in the community. Under present circumstances, tradition is therefore often used in an unsystematic and pragmatic manner, with pronounced risks of its inauthentic commercialization and of deepening the social oblivion of traditional knowledge and practices. At the same time, without a broader development framework, the potential endogenous effects of rural holiday homes — economic, socio-cultural, ecological, and political — also remain limited.

The conference brought together eleven presenters, scholars and researchers from a range of institutions: the Institute for Development and International Relations, the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka, the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka, the Centre for Cultural Heritage Osijek, the Cultural Heritage Management Centre of Varaždin County (CUKUR), the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (MCPA), the Centre for Social Innovation and Sustainable Development (CEDIOR), the Faculty of Education in Osijek, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split. Following the closing discussion, participants explored opportunities for inter-institutional cooperation and the Initiative for Connecting Centres in the Field of Heritage, Culture and Sustainable Development.

More about the congress you can read here.

/o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/dostojanstven_rad_i_gospodarski_rast /o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/odrzivi_gradovi_i_zajednice /o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/odgovorna_potrosnja_i_proizvodnja /o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/partnerstvom_do_ciljeva /o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/kvalitetno_obrazovanje /o_fakultetu/odrzivi_razvoj/smanjenje_nejednakosti

 

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