A method and system for allocating resources for a relay enhanced cellular communication system including a base station, one or more mobile stations and one or more relay stations, is provided. Resource allocation involves allocating subcarriers to one or more access communication links between mobile stations and their serving stations, to meet proportional data rate constraints for the access communication links while improving subcarrier spectrum utilization, and allocating subcarriers to one or more relay communication links between the base station and relay stations to meet proportional data rate constraints for the relay communication links while improving subcarrier spectrum utilization. Further, communication periods are scheduled for access links in access zones and relay links in relay zones. Balancing of communication resources allocated to the access links and relay links may be performed by balancing both subcarrier allocation and scheduling periods.