Kadri Leetmaa
Biographic Data
| ID | 293320 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kadri Leetmaa |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kadri |
| FAMILY NAME | Leetmaa |
| SIGNATURE | LEETMAA K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Tartu |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4418-5022 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 163 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Smart rurality and regional inequalities
Smart development has emerged as a prominent strategy for promoting sustainability, economic growth, and improved quality of life through the integration of digital technologies into everyday life. However, dominant understandings of smart development remain strongly rooted in smart city discourse and urban-centered models of progress. This raises questions about the applicability and implications of smart development in rural, peripheral, and so…
“What is a smart solution supposed to mean anyway?” Quiet smartness and the recognition of rural smart development as a question of knowledge production
Starting from the critique of a lacking conceptualization of smart rurality and urban-rural hierarchies in smart development debates, the paper examines how dominant understandings of smartness are translated, interrogated, and reworked in rural contexts. Drawing on the concept of hierarchical knowledge production, the paper argues that the underlying challenge of rural smartness is less about technology itself than about who defines problems, se…
Residential echoes
This paper brings new perspectives on the intergenerational transmission of residential position by focusing on a society that has experienced a major societal upheaval. The aim is to understand whether upheaval disrupts intergenerational links or whether continuity between generations persists. We assess whether and how parental, individual, and partner characteristics shape the residential position of young people entering the housing market un…
Digital transformation through the lens of peripheralisation
The digital transformation has reached a stage where digital solutions are an integral part of daily life. Yet little attention has been paid to which social groups and locations benefit from this transformation and which are left behind. This article examines digital transformation by focusing on peripheral rural areas, with a focus on older populations. The study draws on expert interviews with key actors working and communicating with older re…
Minorities moving out from minority-rich neighbourhoods
This paper aims to develop a fuller understanding of the relationship between the ethnic composition of childhood residential neighbourhoods, schools, and residential neighbourhoods later in life in producing and reproducing segregation. We apply a longitudinal research design on linked individual-level data from Estonia. Estonia is an interesting case because of the Soviet era population distribution policies and its ubiquitous state-funded educ…
Urban Planning During Socialism
Urban Planning During Socialism delves into the evolution of cities during the period of state socialism of the 20th century, summarizing the urban and architectural studies that trace their transformations. The book focuses primarily on the periphery of the socialist world, both spatially and in terms of scholarly thinking. The case study cities presented in this book draw on cultural and material studies to demonstrate diverse and novel concept…
Family, school, neighbourhood or all three
Special issue Intro
This paper introduces a Special Issue of the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment entitled “Housing estates in the era of marketization – governance practices and urban development”. The issue includes 10 European case studies on how marketization has impacted large housing estates (LHEs) across Europe. The collection includes novel contributions from well-studied countries like France or the United Kingdom, cases from Scandinavia and Med…
Public space as a medium for emerging governance networks in post-privatised large housing estates in Tartu and Vilnius
In most post-socialist cities modernist mass housing comprises a remarkable share of urban housing with a substantial population living there. Therefore, socialist large housing estates (LHEs) have been a fruitful source for research to gather systematic knowledge concerning segregation and housing preferences. Less is known, however, of contemporary LHE-related urban policies and planning interventions. This study asks how in the post-privatisat…
The neighbourhood context and changes in self-reported ethnic identity
Although many studies claim that the residential context is an important factor in shaping the ethnic identity of minorities, there are few studies which actually measure this relationship. This study contributes to filling this gap by investigating the relationship between the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods and changes in the self-reported ethnic identity of Russian-speaking minorities living in post-Soviet Estonia. Additionally, we observ…
Durable Domestic Dreams
Home' and the connotations of this term are little understood in the context of post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. While modern suburban living was rather unusual in this region under socialism, more and more people live in suburbia today. This article concerns itself with the homes of residents in the former socialist-era summerhouse settlements in Estonia. Its aim is to further an understanding of the origins and (dis)continuities of th…
Types of spatial mobility and change in people's ethnic residential contexts
Most studies of the ethnic composition of destination neighbourhoods after residential moves do not take into account the types of moves people have made. However, from an individual perspective, different types of moves may result in neighbourhood environ
Preferences Toward Neighbor Ethnicity and Affluence
In the post-Soviet era, cities in Central and Eastern Europe inherited a rather undifferentiated sociospatial urban landscape that contrasts with the highly segregated cities in Western Europe and North America. In the Soviet era, ethnic segregation emerged as migrants were prioritized in public housing allocation. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, changed the economic and political position of those in-migrants. This study explores h…
The Ethnic Dimensions of Suburbanisation in Estonia
Large-scale suburbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon in East Central Europe and is responsible for major socio-spatial changes in metropolitan areas. Little is known about the ethnic dimensions of suburbanisation, despite the existence of often sizeable Russian minority populations in some member-states of the former Soviet Union. We use individual-level Estonian census data from the year 2000 in order to investigate the ethnic dimension…
Ethnic differences in housing in post-Soviet Tartu, Estonia
Residential decision-making and satisfaction among new suburbanites in the Tallinn urban region, Estonia
Socialist Summer-home Settlements in Post-socialist Suburbanisation
The construction of new housing has been the most visible of all the spatial changes to have affected the post-socialist suburban landscape. It is argued in this article that former summer-home settlements are a hidden component of contemporary residential suburbanisation in former socialist countries. The building of summer or weekend homes ( dacha settlements in the former Soviet Union) around major cities for urban residents was a specific fea…
From Priority‐led to Market‐led Suburbanisation in a Post‐communist Metropolis
Recently, Sjöberg and Gentile generalised the priority mechanisms that shaped the settlement systems and individual cities in countries that were formerly centrally planned. The paper adds the metropolitan level to those macro and microlevel approaches, and links the priority approach to a more general theory of the urban life cycle (Van den Berg and colleagues) in order to understand the processes of population change in this group of countries.…
Suburbanization in countries in transition
Suburbanization is one of the key phenomena of spatial population change in many countries in transition. Yet we know surprisingly little about the population carrying out the post‐socialist suburbanization process. The objective of this article is to improve on this situation by studying the Tallinn metropolis in Estonia. Our analysis, which covers the inter‐censal period 1989 to 2000, focuses on the differences between population subgroups with…
Suburbanisation in relation to education in the Tallinn metropolitan area
Significant changes occur in the social stratification order and spatial redistribution of population in countries in transition. One of the important dimensions in the changing social stratification order is related to the increased importance of education. Dominance of suburbanisation is an important dimension in spatial population change. The aim of the current article is to study these two important dimensions of social and spatial change by …
Suburbanization in countries in transition
Suburbanization is one of the key phenomena of spatial population change in many countries in transition. Yet we know surprisingly little about the population carrying out the post‐socialist suburbanization process. The objective of this article is to improve on this situation by studying the Tallinn metropolis in Estonia. Our analysis, which covers the inter‐censal period 1989 to 2000, focuses on the differences between population subgroups with…
From Priority‐led to Market‐led Suburbanisation in a Post‐communist Metropolis
Recently, Sjöberg and Gentile generalised the priority mechanisms that shaped the settlement systems and individual cities in countries that were formerly centrally planned. The paper adds the metropolitan level to those macro and microlevel approaches, and links the priority approach to a more general theory of the urban life cycle (Van den Berg and colleagues) in order to understand the processes of population change in this group of countries.…
The Ethnic Dimensions of Suburbanisation in Estonia
Large-scale suburbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon in East Central Europe and is responsible for major socio-spatial changes in metropolitan areas. Little is known about the ethnic dimensions of suburbanisation, despite the existence of often sizeable Russian minority populations in some member-states of the former Soviet Union. We use individual-level Estonian census data from the year 2000 in order to investigate the ethnic dimension…
Residential decision-making and satisfaction among new suburbanites in the Tallinn urban region, Estonia
Suburbanisation in relation to education in the Tallinn metropolitan area
Significant changes occur in the social stratification order and spatial redistribution of population in countries in transition. One of the important dimensions in the changing social stratification order is related to the increased importance of education. Dominance of suburbanisation is an important dimension in spatial population change. The aim of the current article is to study these two important dimensions of social and spatial change by …
Ethnic differences in housing in post-Soviet Tartu, Estonia
Socialist Summer-home Settlements in Post-socialist Suburbanisation
The construction of new housing has been the most visible of all the spatial changes to have affected the post-socialist suburban landscape. It is argued in this article that former summer-home settlements are a hidden component of contemporary residential suburbanisation in former socialist countries. The building of summer or weekend homes ( dacha settlements in the former Soviet Union) around major cities for urban residents was a specific fea…
Types of spatial mobility and change in people's ethnic residential contexts
Most studies of the ethnic composition of destination neighbourhoods after residential moves do not take into account the types of moves people have made. However, from an individual perspective, different types of moves may result in neighbourhood environ
Preferences Toward Neighbor Ethnicity and Affluence
In the post-Soviet era, cities in Central and Eastern Europe inherited a rather undifferentiated sociospatial urban landscape that contrasts with the highly segregated cities in Western Europe and North America. In the Soviet era, ethnic segregation emerged as migrants were prioritized in public housing allocation. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, changed the economic and political position of those in-migrants. This study explores h…
Minorities moving out from minority-rich neighbourhoods
This paper aims to develop a fuller understanding of the relationship between the ethnic composition of childhood residential neighbourhoods, schools, and residential neighbourhoods later in life in producing and reproducing segregation. We apply a longitudinal research design on linked individual-level data from Estonia. Estonia is an interesting case because of the Soviet era population distribution policies and its ubiquitous state-funded educ…
Special issue Intro
This paper introduces a Special Issue of the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment entitled “Housing estates in the era of marketization – governance practices and urban development”. The issue includes 10 European case studies on how marketization has impacted large housing estates (LHEs) across Europe. The collection includes novel contributions from well-studied countries like France or the United Kingdom, cases from Scandinavia and Med…
Family, school, neighbourhood or all three
Public space as a medium for emerging governance networks in post-privatised large housing estates in Tartu and Vilnius
In most post-socialist cities modernist mass housing comprises a remarkable share of urban housing with a substantial population living there. Therefore, socialist large housing estates (LHEs) have been a fruitful source for research to gather systematic knowledge concerning segregation and housing preferences. Less is known, however, of contemporary LHE-related urban policies and planning interventions. This study asks how in the post-privatisat…
The neighbourhood context and changes in self-reported ethnic identity
Although many studies claim that the residential context is an important factor in shaping the ethnic identity of minorities, there are few studies which actually measure this relationship. This study contributes to filling this gap by investigating the relationship between the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods and changes in the self-reported ethnic identity of Russian-speaking minorities living in post-Soviet Estonia. Additionally, we observ…
Durable Domestic Dreams
Home' and the connotations of this term are little understood in the context of post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. While modern suburban living was rather unusual in this region under socialism, more and more people live in suburbia today. This article concerns itself with the homes of residents in the former socialist-era summerhouse settlements in Estonia. Its aim is to further an understanding of the origins and (dis)continuities of th…
Suburbanisation in relation to education in the Tallinn metropolitan area
Significant changes occur in the social stratification order and spatial redistribution of population in countries in transition. One of the important dimensions in the changing social stratification order is related to the increased importance of education. Dominance of suburbanisation is an important dimension in spatial population change. The aim of the current article is to study these two important dimensions of social and spatial change by …
Suburbanization in countries in transition
Suburbanization is one of the key phenomena of spatial population change in many countries in transition. Yet we know surprisingly little about the population carrying out the post‐socialist suburbanization process. The objective of this article is to improve on this situation by studying the Tallinn metropolis in Estonia. Our analysis, which covers the inter‐censal period 1989 to 2000, focuses on the differences between population subgroups with…
From Priority‐led to Market‐led Suburbanisation in a Post‐communist Metropolis
Recently, Sjöberg and Gentile generalised the priority mechanisms that shaped the settlement systems and individual cities in countries that were formerly centrally planned. The paper adds the metropolitan level to those macro and microlevel approaches, and links the priority approach to a more general theory of the urban life cycle (Van den Berg and colleagues) in order to understand the processes of population change in this group of countries.…
Ethnic differences in housing in post-Soviet Tartu, Estonia
Residential decision-making and satisfaction among new suburbanites in the Tallinn urban region, Estonia
Socialist Summer-home Settlements in Post-socialist Suburbanisation
The construction of new housing has been the most visible of all the spatial changes to have affected the post-socialist suburban landscape. It is argued in this article that former summer-home settlements are a hidden component of contemporary residential suburbanisation in former socialist countries. The building of summer or weekend homes ( dacha settlements in the former Soviet Union) around major cities for urban residents was a specific fea…
The Ethnic Dimensions of Suburbanisation in Estonia
Large-scale suburbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon in East Central Europe and is responsible for major socio-spatial changes in metropolitan areas. Little is known about the ethnic dimensions of suburbanisation, despite the existence of often sizeable Russian minority populations in some member-states of the former Soviet Union. We use individual-level Estonian census data from the year 2000 in order to investigate the ethnic dimension…
Preferences Toward Neighbor Ethnicity and Affluence
In the post-Soviet era, cities in Central and Eastern Europe inherited a rather undifferentiated sociospatial urban landscape that contrasts with the highly segregated cities in Western Europe and North America. In the Soviet era, ethnic segregation emerged as migrants were prioritized in public housing allocation. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, changed the economic and political position of those in-migrants. This study explores h…
Durable Domestic Dreams
Home' and the connotations of this term are little understood in the context of post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. While modern suburban living was rather unusual in this region under socialism, more and more people live in suburbia today. This article concerns itself with the homes of residents in the former socialist-era summerhouse settlements in Estonia. Its aim is to further an understanding of the origins and (dis)continuities of th…
Types of spatial mobility and change in people's ethnic residential contexts
Most studies of the ethnic composition of destination neighbourhoods after residential moves do not take into account the types of moves people have made. However, from an individual perspective, different types of moves may result in neighbourhood environ
The neighbourhood context and changes in self-reported ethnic identity
Although many studies claim that the residential context is an important factor in shaping the ethnic identity of minorities, there are few studies which actually measure this relationship. This study contributes to filling this gap by investigating the relationship between the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods and changes in the self-reported ethnic identity of Russian-speaking minorities living in post-Soviet Estonia. Additionally, we observ…
Public space as a medium for emerging governance networks in post-privatised large housing estates in Tartu and Vilnius
In most post-socialist cities modernist mass housing comprises a remarkable share of urban housing with a substantial population living there. Therefore, socialist large housing estates (LHEs) have been a fruitful source for research to gather systematic knowledge concerning segregation and housing preferences. Less is known, however, of contemporary LHE-related urban policies and planning interventions. This study asks how in the post-privatisat…
Special issue Intro
This paper introduces a Special Issue of the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment entitled “Housing estates in the era of marketization – governance practices and urban development”. The issue includes 10 European case studies on how marketization has impacted large housing estates (LHEs) across Europe. The collection includes novel contributions from well-studied countries like France or the United Kingdom, cases from Scandinavia and Med…
Urban Planning During Socialism
Urban Planning During Socialism delves into the evolution of cities during the period of state socialism of the 20th century, summarizing the urban and architectural studies that trace their transformations. The book focuses primarily on the periphery of the socialist world, both spatially and in terms of scholarly thinking. The case study cities presented in this book draw on cultural and material studies to demonstrate diverse and novel concept…
Family, school, neighbourhood or all three
Minorities moving out from minority-rich neighbourhoods
This paper aims to develop a fuller understanding of the relationship between the ethnic composition of childhood residential neighbourhoods, schools, and residential neighbourhoods later in life in producing and reproducing segregation. We apply a longitudinal research design on linked individual-level data from Estonia. Estonia is an interesting case because of the Soviet era population distribution policies and its ubiquitous state-funded educ…
Digital transformation through the lens of peripheralisation
The digital transformation has reached a stage where digital solutions are an integral part of daily life. Yet little attention has been paid to which social groups and locations benefit from this transformation and which are left behind. This article examines digital transformation by focusing on peripheral rural areas, with a focus on older populations. The study draws on expert interviews with key actors working and communicating with older re…
Smart rurality and regional inequalities
Smart development has emerged as a prominent strategy for promoting sustainability, economic growth, and improved quality of life through the integration of digital technologies into everyday life. However, dominant understandings of smart development remain strongly rooted in smart city discourse and urban-centered models of progress. This raises questions about the applicability and implications of smart development in rural, peripheral, and so…
“What is a smart solution supposed to mean anyway?” Quiet smartness and the recognition of rural smart development as a question of knowledge production
Starting from the critique of a lacking conceptualization of smart rurality and urban-rural hierarchies in smart development debates, the paper examines how dominant understandings of smartness are translated, interrogated, and reworked in rural contexts. Drawing on the concept of hierarchical knowledge production, the paper argues that the underlying challenge of rural smartness is less about technology itself than about who defines problems, se…
Residential echoes
This paper brings new perspectives on the intergenerational transmission of residential position by focusing on a society that has experienced a major societal upheaval. The aim is to understand whether upheaval disrupts intergenerational links or whether continuity between generations persists. We assess whether and how parental, individual, and partner characteristics shape the residential position of young people entering the housing market un…
Geography (14 works) · Urbanization and City Planning (14 works) · Political science (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Economics (11 works) · Population (11 works) · Demography (9 works) · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies (9 works) · Demographic economics (8 works) · Demography (7 works)