engleski

THE QUALITY OF LIVING IN NEW HOUSING ESTATES IN THE SETTLEMENT NETWORK OF ZAGREB

Transition and post-transition transformation processes in the City of Zagreb and its settlement network are remarkably different in the two, theoretically divided, transition decades (1990-2000 and from 2000 onwards). Urban changes in the second transition period have resulted in more significant and far-reaching consequences for the development and appearance of Zagreb and its surroundings. They are clearly visible, for example, in the housing segment, in intense residential construction and the quality of living in new housing estates in the City of Zagreb, but also in each of the towns surveyed within the City network: Velika Gorica, Samobor and Zaprešić. Urban changes have considerably affected the towns and shaped their appearance, physical development and identity. New housing estates (often on the outskirts of towns) or blocks of flats within the existing estates have sprung up without control, with little or no preparation, inconsistent with urban and spatial plans. The City of Zagreb and its outskirts have changed the most. The City authorities have adopted a partial, market-oriented planning concept with no broader picture in mind and no comprehensive urban development plan for the City of Zagreb. This approach has substantially impacted the citizens’ quality of living. The aim of the paper is to examine the quality of living in the above-mentioned locations through fieldwork. The paper presents the research done in spring 2014 on a targeted sample of 308 households (N=308) in new housing estates or new blocks of flats/houses within the existing estates in the City of Zagreb and three satellite towns. The obtained data analysis shows that although the housing estates are new, the quality of living in them is not satisfactory. The comparison of results from 2004 with the latest from 2014 reveals that the quality of living has not improved but stagnated, some signs pointing to decline. This paper is a theoretical and methodological introduction to the ones which will follow and present complete research results on the quality of living in all examined segments and locations. Thus we continue a long tradition of research on settlement networks and the quality of living started at the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb in the 1970s.

quality of living, settlement network, Zagreb, satellite towns, research

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