Socialist Neighborhoods after Socialism
The Past, Present, and Future of Postwar Housing in the Czech Republic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12148782 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kimberly Elman Zarecor (0000-0001-8322-4154, Iowa State University, Ames, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 486-509 |
| Publication date | 2011-12-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | East European Politics and Societies and Cultures (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0888-3254 • E-ISSN: 1533-8371 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0888325411428968 |
| OpenAlex | W2156610229 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
The Czech Republic’s socialist-era neighborhoods are largely intact twenty years after the end of Communist Party rule. These buildings will be rehabilitated, but not replaced, because of financial and logistical constraints. In the context of the country’s accession to the European Union in 2004 and the recent global economic crisis, this essay questions what can and should be done in an effort to make these neighborhoods better places to live in the present and the future. It starts with a brief history of postwar housing construction and socialist-era design methodologies, exploring postwar architectural practice and innovations in construction technology that were connected to the industrialization of housing production. The role of the Baťa Company in the development of panelák technology is described. In the context of post-socialist rehabilitation efforts, the discussion addresses current housing policy including regulated rents and the shift in emphasis from renting to ownership. Government subsidies and grant programs are considered, as well as problems such as physical degradation and social segregation. The essay proposes that for the future the social and spatial ideas that were part of the original designs may be more important than the architectural style of individual buildings
Communism · Context (archaeology · Economic policy · Economic rent · Economics · European union · Government (linguistics · Industrialisation · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Socialism · Sociology · Subsidy · Law · Urbanization and City Planning
The (anti) adaptive neighbourhoods. Embracing complexity and distribution of design control in the ordinary built environment
Using entrepreneurial social infrastructure to understand smart shrinkage in small towns
The Impacts of Landscape Loss on Industrial Communities
An international politics of Czech architecture; or, reviving the international in international political sociology
It’s a Matter of Time
Housing estates' trajectories in post-socialist countries
| Citations per year | 0.75 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2025 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |