Directions and tendencies of migration of the population into urban areas of the republic of Srpska

This paper covers internal migrations in the Republic of Srpska, in the period 2007-2015 and their impact to urban and peri-urban development of urban areas of the Republic. Migration directions show a continuity of permanent abandonment of rural areas and settlement of urban and peri-urban areas of the Republic, also including the migrations (immigration) from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The scope of migrations has the trend of decrease as result of decrease in the rural population of the Republic of Srpska and its aging. Urban centres of the northern part of the Republic of Srpska (Banja Luka, Doboj, Bijeljina, Prijedor and Gradiška) have the largest scope of immigration, due to a number of attractive factors. In the southern part of the Republic, in the sub-Mediterranean area, the City of Trebinje is the main immigration area for the population of eastern Herzegovina, but also, more and more, for the population of the rest of the Republic of Srpska, as well for the wider regional environment. Spatial scope of research consists of eight cities in the Republic of Srpska, which defined the status of the city in the period from 1995 to 2019. Those cities are: Banjaluka, Bijeljina, Prijedor, Gradiška, Doboj, Istočno Sarajevo, Zvornik and Trebinje. The specificities in the territorial organization of the Republic of Srpska are the result of complex socio-political processes and the formation of the entity line of demarcation in post-war period (1992-1995), between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. Given the physiognomy of space and developmental processes, the Republic of Srpska has complex settlement function. In four urban areas, Istočno Sarajevo, Doboj, Zvornik and Trebinje, the settlements are divided by the entity line, which caused the migrations. In 2014, population migration was also affected by administrative separation of the municipality of Stanari from the Doboj city area. Due to the above mentioned, compared to other cities of the Republic, Doboj has the highest negative values of the migration balance in the observed period (2007-2016). Statistical data from the Federal Bureau of Statistics of BiH and the Republic Institute of the Republic of Srpska were used in research related to migrations, as well as other relevant statistical material produced in the period from 1991 to 2016. The key demographic indicators, internal migrations, immigration and emigration and migration balance were taken into consideration. In order to compare the research areas, data were prepared on the basis of demographic indicators. Conclusions on spatial integration of migration, as well as its direction, have been drawn based on internal migration, spatial distribution of population and change in number of inhabitants in urban and suburban settlements.

Privatisation of a socialist mall in Sarajevo

This article focuses on the transformation of post-socialist cities through the prism of consumption with the case of BBI Centar, a shopping centre located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This paper attaches great importance to long-term analysis and retraces the evolution of this place from the construction of the first mall in 1974 to the construction of the current one in 2009. This manuscript’s aim is to discuss the notion of post-socialism through consumption, focusing on the place of private actors in the socialist and post-socialist cities and on the relationship between private investors and public authorities in a context of privatisation

Transformation of former socialist industrial landscapes in Budapest

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, used to host numerous and diverse types of industrial activities. Their imprints on the urban fabric became especially significant during the socialist period due to the top-down decision of transferring the profile of the country from agricultural to industrial. They were realized in factories, management buildings, at huge areas supporting transport of goods on water or by trains. Moreover, districts were dedicated to the industrial workers and incorporated education, health and leisure services as well. Since the political change in 1989, most of these factories and organizations shrank then completely stopped to operate, but their premises have experienced a more varied after-life. The text introduces examples for almost entire physical elimination, complete functional change and even continuous musealizations of former industrial sites in Budapest. The investigation is based on the analysis of diverse written documents (such as policies, scientific evaluations and media coverage) as well as on-site research. Through the case study analyses from Budapest, Hungary that focus on the period between 1989 and 2016, the paper identifies general approaches of urbanization in the post-socialist time regarding to former industrial sites and the major challenges that threaten the valuation of these tangible and intangible reminiscences of the past.

What is to be Done? Framings of Urban Populism in Prague and Warsaw

Resurgent populism in East Central Europe is typically analyzed at the national level. This paper examines populist urban movements in two of the region’s capital cities: Prague and Warsaw. It locates the origin of urban populist grievances in the crisis of urban-planning regimes after communism. At the same time, it argues that the character of populist urban movements, in terms of their mobilizing frames and tactics, varies between cities depending on the openness of municipal institutions to new social actors. The research draws on extensive field interviews, policy documents, academic analyses, and domestic media reports. It sheds light on an under-studied variant of postcommunist populism—one less conservative and potentially more inclusive—and contributes to the literatures on postcommunist civil society, urban planning, and municipal-level politics.

Memories and reflections on the “socialist” urban center

Based on empirical research in Asenovgrad, this paper discusses socially constructed spaces during socialism and how they were used to impose and legitimize power. It proposes alternate perspectives towards socialism and its material culture expressed in the creation of modern architectural ensembles in the town center. Socialist architecture was a power statement which imposed new values and ideas. These buildings were markers of state authority which sent a powerful message for the renewal of society by breaking away from older, pre-socialist traditions. Among the issues examined here is the significance of the urban square and its surrounding buildings for residents of Asenovgrad today; how is the town’s center perceived in the collective memory? The analysis concludes by exploring the relationship between architecture and ideology in the way social reality was constructed, instrumentalised and offering insight into how the socialist regime was legitimized through material culture, artifacts, and buildings.

Public space transformation in the case of “Skopje 2014″

The politics of the post-socialist era, during the transitional period in the Republic of North Macedonia, left dark marks in the city morphology and deeply influenced urban planning. This paper explores the most notable example of this particular trend - the project named “Skopje 2014”. The paper analyses the project’s underlying feature, which can be described as an attempt to recast a national profile, affecting public space and built heritage, without any awareness of the gap between nationalistic theory and the desperate economic realities. In hindsight, the paper argues that, unfortunately, this project was brought to life without any public participation or by taking into consideration the expert-based evaluation. Therefore, many new buildings were built and much more covered in new architectural styles, which led to uncontrolled city growth and a vague makeover of the city.

Social problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020

This paper describes housing, food, and health insecurities exacerbated by the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. It explores the problems large cities face while managing information, distributing aid, and providing for isolated citizens. Inclusive housing, cooperative projects and incentives to curtail gentrification and favelization within cities, will be explored as well as new forms of vigilantism and social action.