Cities After Socialism

The dramatic collapse of state socialism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and the emergence of new political, social and economic structures has had a profound impact on every aspect of these societies. This volume - the first significant analysis of its kind - brings together leading European and American commentators who examine the impact of this social revolution of cities and urban life. And because cities and the process of urbanization play central roles in shaping the wider processes of change now occurring, this book will be essential reading for all those who claim more than a passing interest in the transition from state socialism to capitalism and the far-reaching implications of this process. At the heart of this book lie several crucial questions: What were socialist cities and what is succeeding them? What is the legacy of the old system for the new one? What are the dynamics of this transition? Are these remade cities similar in most respects to those in the advanced capitalist world? Or are they more like the peripheral capitalist cities of the Third World, or some hybrid or new form? How diverse are the processes of transition in the different national urban systems? Is urbanization best understood as a functional consequence of advanced industrial societies, rather than of capitalism or socialism? What role are the doctrines of neo-liberalism, imported from the West, playing in the remaking of urban societies and policies and what are the consequences of this policy recipe? These are some of the fascinating and pressing questions addressed in Cities after Socialism.