Post-Socialist Transformations of Green Open Spaces in Large Scale Socialist Housing Estates in Slovakia

Abstract

Generously designed broad green open spaces belong to the most characteristic features of the large scale socialist housing estates in Slovakia, designed and built in the second half of the 20th century. Open spaces were designed to satisfy the requirements of the socialist society and were well equipped with roads, parking places, pedestrian walkways, waste collection sites, and also vast green spaces with children playgrounds and sport grounds. Many of these spaces, equipped by artworks and fountains, represented architectural qualities of the modernism of the second half of the 20th century. However, the concept of large scale socialist housing estates and their broad green open spaces had its failings and shortcomings, too, manifested mainly by the deficiencies in maintenance, loss of control, or safety. Open public spaces are spaces intensively reflecting the cotemporary needs of the communities for their use. The new socio-economic conditions after the fall of the communist regime have created new societal demands that nowadays transform the open public spaces.The paper traces the transformations of open green spaces in the large scale socialist housing estates in Slovakia, generated by the new socio-economic conditions after the change of the regime and by the new demands, using the case studies of large scale socialist housing estates in Bratislava. Results of the research show the losses of green open spaces caused by densification of housing, civic amenities, and parking spaces. The cultural heritage values of open green spaces representing exceptional landscape architectural qualities of the modernism of the second half of the 20th century are not protected and maintained. Only few examples of successful green space regeneration have been found.