Post-socialist Cities Research Articles

Book Review: Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen (eds), From Socialist to Post-Socialist Cities: Cultural Politics of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Identity in Eurasia

Book Review: Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen (eds), <i>From Socialist to Post-Socialist Cities: Cultural Politics of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Identity in Eurasia</i>

Where the whole city meets: youth, gender and consumerism in the social space of the MEGA shopping mall in Aktobe, western Kazakhstan

ABSTRACTThe shopping mall entered Central Asia's commercial sector as a result of the economic transformation of post-Soviet space. Constructed near the centre of the city, the shopping mall overwrites the urban landscape, dominating it as a symbol of modernity. It functions as a gateway of global consumerist culture to the Eurasian steppe. Using the MEGA shopping mall in Aktobe, in western Kazakhstan, as an example, this article shows that the building acts as a stage for the construction of a new social and cultural space. This study focuses on the ways in which young women interact with the mall's spaces. The mall turns out to be a playground not only for children, but also for the whole younger generation, who come to this unique place to see and be seen. The mall became a hot spot of youth culture in the post-socialist worker's city by offering more than a mere shelter from dust and snow storms on the steppe. The available amenities made it a favourite place for meeting, consuming and dreaming. Young women especially are attracted to MEGA to experience the newest fashions and build social relationships.

Public Spaces for Children in a Post-Socialist City

AIM: The aim of this research is to present the outcomes of urban transformations during the post-socialist period in Novi Sad, Serbia, from the aspect of quality of public spaces for children.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research is a contribution to the process of designing public spaces for children in the times of rapid urban changes and a step forward to creating adequate places for children’s play.RESULTS: The socialist legacy of architectural design and urban planning strategies in terms of housing was altered by the new post-socialist patterns. Residential construction became insufficiently regulated and predominantly profit-driven, which resulted in a disregard of the value public spaces for children should have.CONCLUSIONS: Upon analysing public spaces for children in the city after transition, it can be concluded that there is a significant shortage of attractive places for gathering, play and other leisure activities in many of newly built urban neighbourhoods. It also seems that architects and urban planners did not pay much attention to children’s needs. The distribution of public spaces, their proportions and dimensions, programs and contents, should all be planned with the aim to create harmony between spaces and their users, making the whole process of socialization more successful and intensive.

Public Space and Its Role to Transforming the Community

The socio-spatial organization of the cities, directly linked to the certain economic and political system, appears as a demonstrative reference of the current urban transition towards post socialist cities. The task is to determine, whether disqualifying socialism is a substantive aspect of post-socialism; either if the contemporary public space should still represent the theatre for programmed, controlled activities, or are they mixture of rejection and adaptation to new situation through informal activities. The presence of symbols in public space is manipulated by ideologies in order to construct eligible narratives. The change of reading the public symbols, when substituting the socialist ideology by the other single ideological attitude of globalized consumption, depends on the critical links between official policies and the types of responses on the community level.The paper is targeting reflection on a new form and structure of selected public spaces in Lučenec, with the emphasis on their iconicity, shaping the collective memory through the quiet erosion of the socialist icons. The aim of the article is to present the possibilities for the future policy making, as the conception of authorities for transparent regulation of public space is missing.

Post-socialist suburbanization and sprawl development patterns - Nis case study

One of the characteristic forms of suburban development in the second half of the 20th century is urban sprawl. Various authors state that sprawl characterizes the urban development of both capitalist and former socialist cities. The cities of Central and Eastern Europe, however, remained compact during the entire period of socialism, and did not begin dispersed development until the 90?s. The goal of this paper is to examine the spatial-functional characteristics of the capitalist sprawl model and determine similarities and differences to the post-socialist suburban development patterns. A typical sprawling settlement of the capitalist city is presented in this paper: Platte Ridge neighborhood in the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Then two suburban segments of the City of Nis, Serbia from the post-socialist period are analyzed, which represent typical cases of the residential and retail decentralization: Podvinik/Vinik residential zone beyond the urban boundary, and a retail center at the periphery of the city in Duvaniste neighborhood. The paper points out to problems that urban design of capitalist sprawl produces in the usage of space in the post-socialist city.

Who Has the Right to the Post-Socialist City? Writing Poland as the Other of Marxist Geographical Materialism

The article opens with a thesis that the post-socialist city is not part of the neoliberal world theorized by David Harvey. By way of comparison, the text discusses Paul Giles’s The Global Remapping of American Literature which is a successful endeavor because the history of American novel is abundant in examples that fit Harvey’s model. The fact that small American factory towns that were unable to successfully accomplish deindustrialization are not accounted for in Giles’s scholarship does not diminish the strength of the scholar’s argument. However, these towns – the blind spot of Harvey’s and Giles’s criticism – bear striking resemblance to the post-socialist city present in the post-1989 Polish literature. Therefore, the analysis of the post-socialist city may provide insightful comments on both Polish and American literary representations of small factory towns. Focusing on Mariusz Sieniewicz’s Czwarte niebo, the article analyzes how the post-socialist city remains a repository of the state-controlled past and resists adaptation to the globalized world of flexible accumulation. It attempts to answer the following questions: What is the position of the post-socialist city within the free-market neoliberal economy? How does the residue of the past built into the fabric of the functionalist space affect its inhabitants? What prevents the residents of the post-socialist city from entering what Harvey calls the space of flexible accumulation? And finally, how can the inhabitants of the post-socialist city reclaim public space?

Understanding the social development of a post-socialist large housing estate: The case of Leipzig-Grünau in eastern Germany in long-term perspective

For decades, public and scholarly debates on large, post-war housing estates in western Europe have been concerned with social decline. After 1989/1990, the point in time of fundamental societal change in eastern Europe, this concern was transferred to estates in post-socialist cities. However, empirical evidence for a general negative trend has not emerged. Recent publications confirm the persistence of social mix and highlight the differentiated trajectories of estates. This paper aims to contribute to an approach of how to conceptually make sense of these differentiated trajectories. Using data from a unique longitudinal survey in East Germany, starting in 1979, we investigate the state of social mix, drivers of social change and the inner differentiation in the housing estate Leipzig-Grünau. We found no proof for a dramatic social decline, rather there is evidence for a slow and multi-faceted change in the social and demographic structure of the residents contributing to a gradual social fragmentation of the estate. This is a result of path dependencies, strategic planning effects and ownership structures. We discuss these drivers of large housing estate trajectories and their related impacts by adapting a framework of multiple, overlapping institutional, social and urban post-socialist transformations. We suggest embedding the framework in a wider and a local context in which transformations need to be seen. In conclusion, we argue for a theoretical debate that makes sense of contextual differences within such transformations.

Neo-Liberal Reality in Post-Industrial Waterfronts of the Post-Socialist Cities: The Polish Tri-City Case

A natural problem of post-industrial cities, which results from economic change, is their heritage in the form of degraded and unused post-industrial areas. They are often situated in central districts. Thus, it is obvious that local authorities consider them important, and prioritize them in spatial development. The very special and significant areas of coastal cities are waterfronts that have experienced, and are still experiencing, transformations, which constitute indelible elements of development. This paper is an attempt to evaluate the directions of waterfronts’ developments in Poland; taking into account the fact that while on the one hand, Polish cities are struggling with the socialist legacy, on the other hand, they are under pressure from the neoliberal development paradigm. DOI: 10.15458/85451.10

The reurbanisation concept and its utility for contemporary research on post-socialist cities: The case of the Czech Republic

Abstract The concept of reurbanisation is discussed in this article from theoretical and methodological perspectives. Reurbanisation has been defined as one of the stages of urban development recently, but it is also tied to processes of gentrification, or perceived as a policy aimed at the revitalisation of inner cities. The main objective of this contribution is to discuss three principal and different perspectives of reurbanisation: firstly, reurbanisation as defined on the macro-scale of settlement system development; secondly, the concept as elaborated at the micro-scale of the transformation of inner cities; and, thirdly, reurbanisation viewed as a specific urban policy at the local government scale of analysis. The authors’ singular understanding of the reurbanisation process – as suburban-to-urban migration – is then presented as an alternative conceptualization of reurbanisation. This paper presents and evaluates the use of the reurbanisation concept in research on residential environments in current conditions in the Czech Republic and relates it to the broader domain of research on post-socialist cities.

The changing role of migration and natural increase in suburban population growth: The case of a non-capital post-socialist city (The Krakow Metropolitan Area, Poland)

Abstract The evolution of population distributions in the Krakow Metropolitan Area (KMA) in Poland is subject to analysis in this contribution. Changes and recent reversals in the relationships between the main components of total population growth (natural increase and net migration) are examined in order to determine the level of development of suburbanisation processes in zones of the KMA, with the use of the Webb typology. Research was carried out in four time points: 1988, 1995, 2002 and 2012, covering the year just before the collapse of the socialist regime, the first decade of political and socio-economic transition, and the period before and after accession to the EU. The analysis of differentials in natural increase and net migration is conducted within the context of residential suburbanisation in the KMA, using as a background context recent population developments in Poland and Polish cities. Implications for urban policy arising from changes in the spatial concentration of the population in the metropolitan area are discussed.

Creative industries in the capital cities of the Baltic States: Are there innovations in urban policy?

Abstract The transformation of urban policy, resulting from ‘creative industries’ policy developments, is explored in this article, with respect to the Baltic capitals. Policy initiatives in the creative industries in Central and Eastern European cities have predominantly developed through policy transfers from Western Europe, with its long-term market economy experience. How adaptable are such policies for post-socialist cities? Using the concept of social innovation, this article describes mechanisms that facilitate policy acceptance and examines whether and how the development of creative industries has resulted in urban policy renewal in the Baltic capitals.

The role of developers in the formation of gated communities in Prague

Existing literature on the formation of gated communities primarily focuses on the demand side. Mainstream theories pay attention to the fear of crime or social prestige. However, little attention has been paid to the role of supply factors. Prague, as a post-socialist city, has experienced a rapid growth of gated communities in recent years. This paper identifies the main driving forces behind the creation of gated communities in Prague. Our empirical research demonstrates that the creation of gated communities was not primarily initiated from supply side. We argue that the role of developers was critical in the formation of gated communities in Prague during the 2000s.

From sacrum to profanum: reinterpretation of communist places of power in Baltic cities

ABSTRACTPlaces always represent the social and cultural dimensions of societies, seen through relationships between ideas, beliefs, and hopes. Places and their social practices are interwoven into the urban fabric and have become vital components of urban and ideological identities. Ideological systems create unique arrangements and classifications of those special places, which can be called “hallowed” or “profaned.” This project focuses on the recent transformation of the communist system of “sacral” spaces and their recent “profanation.” The transformation of meaning, together with the use and attitude toward landscape, has become visible due to spatial and functional manifestations of post-socialist cities.

Globalising homeownership: housing privatisation schemes and the private rental sector in post-socialist Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Research has shown how private homeownership features prominently in housing policy on a global basis. Little critique exists, however, on how property is framed in more contemporary privatisation policies unfolding in today’s post-socialist cities. Taking the case study of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, this article examines the extent to which the government and international community remain focused on homeownership to the detriment of developing policies and legislation on other housing tenure, notably rental housing. The article examines two contemporary housing programmes: the introduction of homeowner associations and the government’s approach towards informal settlements on the city’s outskirts. These two programmes are examined as an entrenchment of earlier privatisation programmes introduced in the late 1980s and 1990s which resulted in the sale of state housing and the distribution of land on the city’s outskirts. The results indicate that tenants often remain either invisible or their rights are subjuga...

La reconfiguration des récits postsocialistes de Nowa Huta (Pologne) et de Dunaújváros (Hongrie)

This article examines the changing narratives of two postsocialist cities: Nowa Huta in Poland and Dunaújváros in Hungary. By comparing the post-1989 narratives of these two planned socialist towns, I argue that the current presentations of their socialist heritage reflect the changing post-1989 narratives of Polish and Hungarian identity. Nowa Huta’s story has become transformed from a crude communist imposition to suppress anti-communist feelings in Polish society to a place that, instead, fought with the system in order to remain Catholic and that strongly participated in Poland’s struggle for independence in the 1980s. Similarly, Dunaújváros has been transformed from ‘the ugliest city in Hungary’ constructed during the period of forced industrialization to what is now a modern city with two thousand years of history, including its Roman and medieval past, ultimately fulfilling the dreams about economic independence of Hungarian patriots of the 19th century. As such, both cities are successfully repositioning their ‘unwanted past’ within the broader context of changing national narratives.

Spatial Structure of Modern Moscow

The article is focused on the spatial structure of modern Moscow and features distinguishing it from the cities of Western Europe and the US. The city has hybrid spatial structure combining elements which emerged on different stages of the city development. In the 14th century two tendencies appeared: the prestige of the city centre and opposition of Western districts as more prestigious to Eastern districts as less prestigious. Crucial spatial characteristics emerged in the Soviet era and up to now they define the image of Moscow. Firstly, it's a peculiar density profile. Population density in post-socialist cities tends to increase as we move further from the city centre while in Western European cities population density is the highest in central districts. Secondly, elementary units of Moscow spatial structure are so called micro-districts (neighbourhoods). The concept of a microdistrict was very popular with Soviet urban planners and widely applied in the residential construction. Another peculiarity of Moscow spatial structure is social heterogeneity of districts and absence of ethnic quarters or ghettos. Furthermore, significant part of the city area is occupied by former industrials zones which are not used anymore and need to be reconstructed. With transition to market economy a number of spatial changes emerged. They were partly related to the large-scale privatization, infill construction and lack of effective urban planning policy. In conclusion the article states the need for the new model of spatial organization which would take into account the specifics of Russian reality.

Hangzhou

Once an ancient capital of China, Hangzhou has transformed to a post-socialist city that faces profound changes and critical challenges in various aspects of urban development such as historical legacies, market-oriented urban economy, expansive urban spatial patterns, population management, land use restructuring, and affordable housing provision. Under the increasingly stronger market power, the city strives to reposition itself to be an important economic center in the Yangtze River Delta Region, through strategic and innovative urban growth agenda. This profile identifies some fundamental issues and processes that underscore Hangzhou’s recent urban development and presents future prospect for a coastal metropolis with regional significance.

Reclaiming Rights to the Socialist City: Bureaucratic Artefacts and the Affective Appeal of Petitions

A long history of war and revolution in the industrial city of Vinh has perpetuated cycles of mass destruction followed by urban renewal. This paper examines citizen responses to the shift from post-war socialist urbanization that sought to eradicate inequality to post-reform city planning that advocates private property. It asks: how do urban residents at risk of relocation articulate their rights to the post-socialist city? Tracing the use and circulation of bureaucratic artefacts between citizens, developers and the state, it shows how government documents, far from being mere tools of state regulation, are productive of active, participatory subjectivities and a growing sense of moral–political agency. This agency manifests itself in the collective act of petitioning through which residents contest urban redevelopment and the withdrawal of the state by employing the language of tình cảm (sentiment) as an affective tool and logic of bureaucratic rationality.

Institutional transition: Internal migration, the propiska, and post-socialist urban change in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, there has been remarkable enthusiasm for theorising how transitional processes have unfolded in post-socialist cities. In seeking to extend literature that uses the post-socialist condition as a tool for theory building, we draw attention to the ongoing processes of institutional change in post-socialist cities. In doing so, we reject a ‘top-down’ perspective and examine how these institutional transitions are shaped through processes of ‘domestication’, negotiation and contestation between different interest groups in the city. We develop our argument, by drawing attention to the local political debates surrounding the propiska in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The propiska developed throughout the Soviet Union to control internal migration and is still used today in a less restrictive form. By discussing our case study, we hope to foster attention towards the ongoing contested processes of institutional transition in post-socialist cities.

Cycling in the post-socialist city: On travelling by bicycle in Sofia, Bulgaria

There are many ways of moving through a city. Cycling is one which has received considerable attention from urban scholars. Yet it has remained largely neglected within the burgeoning literature on the post-socialist urbanisms of Central and Eastern Europe. This paper uses a case study from Sofia, Bulgaria to address this gap in urban research. By exploring the practices and affordances of cycling, we offer a discussion of everyday mobility, public life and urban space in post-socialist Sofia. This case study incorporates ethnography and in-depth interviews with regular cyclists. Through a discussion of bicycling spaces and practices, this paper complicates the notion of post-socialist cities as places defined by the decline of public sensibilities.