Neue sozialräumliche Entwicklungstrends in innerstädtischen Wohnquartieren des mittleren und östlichen Europa?

Abstract

Since the early 1990ies, investigations about socio-spatial change in Central Eastern European (CEE) urban regions were focused on large scale housing estates and suburban developments. Subsequently, the attention was directed on the upgrading of CEE inner cities as attractive living places and focal points of sociospatial change. In many cases the socio-spatial changes in the inner cities were viewed unilaterally regarding the gentrification aspects. In addition the investigations failed to integrate their results in the respective urban regional context. Moreover, international comparative studies are missing. Based on primary data in five CEE urban regions, the paper aims to analyse the socio-spatial developments of inner cities in a more multifaceted way by comparing them intraand inter-regionally. On the one hand, it will be discussed, if there is a general trend of socio-structural and socio-cultural upgrading in CEE inner cities. On the other hand, the diversity and simultaneity of socio-spatial processes in CEE inner cities will be scrutinised. The current sociospatial development trends of the investigated CEE cities will be discussed in reference to the discourse about the socialist development phase and the concept of re-urbanisation, known from Western European cities.