Urban processes in Zagreb. Residential and commercial developments

Abstract

In the post-socialist and transition period, Croatia and especially its capital city Zagreb have experienced many physical transformations of space but, most of all, remarkable social changes. For example, socially-oriented housing construction planned and co-financed by towns in Croatia is in a very unfavourable position compared to private housing construction, especially on the outskirts of towns. This benefits neither towns nor their residents, but rather only those urban actors interested in the development of capitalism. In recent years, there has been a lot of building in the city core and on the outskirts of Zagreb, which is not well integrated into the existing urban structure, image or skyline of the city. There is also a major problem of insufficient primary and secondary infrastructure in the new housing estates. The current situation in the planning process is characterized by conflict and lack of balance between powerful political and economic actors and less powerful professional and civil actors. Experts of various profiles often point out that ignoring the process of planning means irreparable long-term damage to the space. Such incongruous transformations show the absence of comprehensive urban planning and urbanism.