Recent urban development and gentrification in post-Dayton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

It is just over two decades since Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emerged from a bloody war that included a three-year siege of the city, killing thousands of its citizens, forcing many more to flee the city and inflicted major damage to buildings and infrastructure. This paper focuses on the ongoing redevelopment of the city under the unusual circumstances provided by governance arrangements imposed under the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995. It builds on earlier overviews of the city's development provided by Gül and Dee (Cities, 43) and Aquilué and Roca (Cities, 58), by focusing on the consequences of the interplay between a weak urban planning system, the post-socialist transition towards a market economy, economic stagnation and globalizing forces. It notes that some broad characteristics of the new developments are shared with other east European cities following the demise of socialism post-1989, but there are also changes reflecting the impact of specific circumstances prevailing since the war. Many of the most recent new developments are the product of foreign investment, in part linked to post-war reconstruction and redevelopment, but also to the growth of international tourism which is increasingly affecting the housing market and ‘gentrifying’ some areas. New hotel and retail complexes around the old city center are increasing housing rentals, driving young people towards outlying suburbs, and contributing to housing shortages. These recent population movements are mapped and further analyzed to reveal the city's distinctive evolving character.