The large-scale multi-story housing extensions as a prevaling expression of the post-socialist urban transformations. The case study of the neighborhood Stara Zeleznicka Kolonija, the city of Nis

Abstract

This study considers how unstructured extensive housing upgrading has influenced social relations within fully upgraded multi-story housing areas during post-socialist urban transformations in the city of Nis. Two perspectives were adopted in the analysis: the evaluation of the planning and management of the upgrading process, and changes in the social relation in respect to changes in the built environment and social structure within the neighborhood after upgrading. The investigation is based on a triangulation approach relying on interviews, policy and regulation reviews, and observations. The research was carried out as a case study, analyzing the upgrading process at the city level but elaborating its effects on the example of the neighborhood of Stara Zeleznicka Kolonija (SZK). The research suggests a regressive approach to the planning of the upgrading process with critical implications both for community life in the fully regenerated neighborhoods, and the quality of the built environment. The research also indicates that within an inconsistent legislative environment, market-driven housing regeneration processes may lead to generic development with the denial of local social and physical specificities.