Housing Estates in the Czech Republic after Socialism

Abstract

Growing income differentiation in society, diversification of housing supply and selective population mobility are resulting in increasing socio-spatial differentiation in Czech cities and neighbourhoods during the post-socialist transition. Housing estates are no exception to the processes of urban change. The paper shows that development trajectories of housing estates vary in different parts of the country, in various locations within each city and also within particular housing estates. As segregation in Czech cities takes place mainly within very small areas, statistical analyses usually fail to detect the seeds of social and physical degradation emerging in neighbourhoods and a micro survey is essential. In order to understand the patterns and factors of differentiation, the paper presents case studies from housing estates located in different cities of the Czech Republic.