Beyond transitions: Understanding urban change in post-socialist cities

Abstract

In the last fifteen years, transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have experienced highly dramatic change in political, economic and social terms. Studies have pointed out the sharp divide between countries in CEE and CIS (UNECE 2003; World Bank 2002). In the west of the region, most countries have become functioning market economies, have come close to or exceeded the level of economic output of the early 1990s, and have moved to decentralized political and administrative power. Some have joined the European Union. In the eastern part of the region, changes on both the economic and the political front have been more moderate, and progress uneven (EBRD 2004). In all countries of the region, inequality and poverty are much greater than during socialism, and region-wide the number of the poor had risen to 100 million by 2001. The pursuit of private-sector-driven growth as well as macroeconomic and social reforms has delivered mixed results with respect to economic performance, provision of basic services, and the effectiveness of social safety nets, particularly in the urban areas where most of the region’s people work and live. These important manifestations embedded in the overall process of economic, social and political change influence profoundly the spatial adaptation and repositioning of post-socialist cities. The transition from a centrally planned to a marketbased economy offered significant opportunities to increase the economic prosperity and social well-being of urban residents through more democratic governance. Fifteen years later, the cities with transition economies have remained centres of economic growth, service expansion, technological innovation and cultural diversity. However, they have also experienced rapid social polarization, poverty and environmental degradation. This research focuses on the process of urban change in post-socialist cities in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It draws much-needed attention to an important set of urban policy issues with wide implications for the success of the transition process in the region. The study has the following objectives: