Socialist Summer-home Settlements in Post-socialist Suburbanisation

Abstract

The construction of new housing has been the most visible of all the spatial changes to have affected the post-socialist suburban landscape. It is argued in this article that former summer-home settlements are a hidden component of contemporary residential suburbanisation in former socialist countries. The building of summer or weekend homes ( dacha settlements in the former Soviet Union) around major cities for urban residents was a specific feature of socialist metropolitan planning. After removing construction restrictions, the stock of vacant dachas started to support the supply side of the suburban housing market. While dachas were a reserve of affordable housing during the recession of the 1990s, they served as a stock of building plots during the construction boom of the mid 2000s. In the Tallinn Metropolitan Area, former second homes are even more important than new post-1991 residential areas in terms of giving access to detached houses to the metropolitan population.

Analysis of Regulation of Residential Suburbanisation in Hinterland of Post-socialist ‘One Hundred Thousands’ City of České Budějovice

“…Ouředníček (2007) also mentions other specific and not such mass migrations from the city to its hinterland, e.g., moving from the city to second homes in the hinterland (see Leetmaa et al, 2012) or moving of the retired to the retirement homes situated outside the city. Kok and Kovács (1999), Kovács (1999), Hirt (2007) or Leetmaa and Tammaru (2007) mention moving of the poor from the city, e.g.…”

“…The experts discuss the problem of conversion of the second homes into permanent homes especially in the hinterland of Prague (Ouředníček, 2005(Ouředníček, , 2007 and also Estonian Tallinn (Leetmaa, Tamaru, 2007;Leetmaa et al, 2012). There are a few places within the study area where the suburbs turned into clusters of recreational and garden cabins (see Fig.…”

Trends in Development of Residential Areas in Suburban Zone of the City of Nitra (Slovakia)

“…There is an influence of various economic and cultural processes that affect individual localities. Big cities and their processes can be seen in post-socialist Europe as places of first entry of new economic and cultural elements into regions (Borén, Gentile, 2007, Leetmaa et al, 2012, Ouředníček, Špačková, 2013, as a connection between Western and Eastern Europe (Musil, 2005) and as outposts for spreading new development tendencies and trends into other areas. In the large cities alone we can notice key progressive processes through social and settlement geography.…”

Planning post-summurbia: From spontaneous pragmatism to collaborative planning?

“…Mason and Nigmatullina, 2011). At present, post-summurbia is diverse: although many residents live there permanently, some houses are used as second homes, while a few plots are simply deserted (Leetmaa et al, 2012). The territory offers a variety of visual impressions: one may find genuine ("untouched") and renovated Soviet summer huts, buildings at various stages of construction or renovation, simple single-family housing, and the occasional architectural faux pas design(at) ed for the new rich (see Fig.…”

“…Additionally, situated in the suburban zones of cities, these settlements are good examples of the rapid and liberal post-socialist development that has taken place over the last 25 years (cf. Hirt, 2007;Ouředníček, 2007;Leetmaa et al, 2012). Contemporary 'post-summurban' milieux typically combine modern suburban living with remnants of the dacha culture of the still recent socialist past (see Fig.…”