Growth and Change in Post-socialist Cities of Central Europe by Cudny, Waldemar; Kunc, Josef;

Short description:

This book presents multidimensional socio-economic transformations taking  place in the post-socialist cities located in selected countries of the Central European region. It will be valuable to undergraduate and postgraduate students in human geography, urban studies, economy, and city marketing, especially with an interesting in Central Europe.

Long description:

This book presents multidimensional socio-economic transformations taking  place in the post-socialist cities located in selected countries of the Central European region.

The analysis includes case studies from the Eastern part of Germany (Chemnitz, Leipzig), Poland (Łódź, Kielce, Katowice conurbation, and peripheral urban centres from Eastern Poland), Slovakia (Bratislava, Nitra), the Czech Republic (Olomouc, Brno), and from Hungary (Pécs). The analysed urban areas have undergone far-reaching political and socio-economic changes in the last 30 years. These changes began with the collapse of communism and the centrally planned economy system in the region of Central Europe. The beginning of this period, often referred to as post-socialist transformation, dates back to 1989. The consequence of the aforementioned political processes was the multifaceted socio-economic and demographic changes that significantly affected urban areas in Central Europe. This book presents an attempt to summarize the main long-term processes of changes taking place in these urban areas and to identify contemporary and future trends in their socio-economic development.

The book will be valuable to undergraduate and postgraduate students in human geography, urban studies, economy, and city marketing, especially with an interest in Central Europe.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction  2. Post-socialist urban change and its spatial patterns - the case of Nitra  3. The University as the creative hub – the city of Olomouc after 1989  4. In the shadow of Karl Marx: The case of Chemnitz and its multiple transitions  5. Young people's life plans and their impact on the demographic future of a shrinking city - Kielce case study  6. Manufacturing in the Post-Industrial City: The Role of a “Hidden Sector” in the Development of Pécs, Hungary  7. Socioeconomic development in Bratislava during post-socialism  8. Brno in transition: From industrial legacy towards modern urban environment  9. Challenges and Problems of Re-growth: The Case of Leipzig (Eastern Germany)  10. Łódź - a multidimensional transition from an industrial center to a post-socialist city  11. The socio-economic transformation of the Katowice conurbation in Poland  12. Population  ageing processes in towns and cities situated in peripheral areas. An example of urban centres in Eastern Poland  13. Conlcusions