This book identifies and describes the inter- and intra-urban transformations of Central and Eastern European cities and considers their pre-1945 historic legacies, the socialist period and their ...contemporary transition towards market oriented and democratic systems. The dramatic changes since 1989 including the collapse of Communist ideology, the break-up of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, the end of the Cold War and the impact of globalisation and European integration, have reconfigured this region and affected their re-integration into European and global networks.The similarities and differences between significant Central and Eastern European cities are examined, comparing the differing patterns of historical context and socialist legacies before 1990, and the impacts of internal and external forces on re-shaping these cities and their paths of transformation since 1990. It also examines the role of contemporary planning within the overall development of Central and Eastern European cities.The conclusion demonstrates the similarities and differences between Central and Eastern European cities and their re-integration into global networks.
The urban development process has been under intensive economic restructuring, socio-demographic and environmental transformations with technological innovations. Economic activities are ...geographically located to improve territorial competitiveness of companies as they have important role and possibilities of the economy of scale with cost effective market advantages. In this research the economic development potentials of selected urban areas (69 municipalities) in Slovenia have been defined through key development factors that are also causing the development gap as sources of external economies between selected urban areas. The selection of individual development factors of the economic potential of urban areas is based on the most important economic indicators (28) as initially implemented in the methodology of the ESPON II POLYCE project (2010-2012) Metropolisation & Polycentric Development in Central Europe for defining the potentials of MEGA (Metropolitan European Growth Areas) in Europe. The results of our analysis of economic potential of urban areas in Slovenia has emphasized the role of the capital city of Ljubljana (and functional urban area) with the highest concentration of the above average results followed with two regional urban areas (of national importance, SPRS 2004) – Nova Gorica and Novo mesto. The profiles of individual towns and urban areas are important empirically supported instrument for policy makers and other stakeholders for enhancing territorial competitiveness and cohesion, and strategic recommendations for further key urban policies.
Članek sloni na rezultatih mednarodnega projekta iz 5. Okvirnega programa EU pod naslovom URBS PANDENS: Urban Sprawl: European Patterns, Environmental Degradation and Sustainable Development ...(EVK4-CT-2001-00052) sofinanciran iz sredstev EU. Namen projekta je splošno razumevanje o naravi in razsežnosti procesa širjenja mestnega območja ter ugotovitve specifičnih evropskih vzorcev in vzorčno-posledičnih odnosov v procesu širjenja mestnega območja na primeru vzorčnih mest. Projekt združuje ustrezne izkušnje, informacije in znanja potrebne za nadaljnje usmerjanje trajnostnega razvoja poselitve na ravni EU.
The article attempts to provide some insights into whether, how far, why and where cities in Central and Eastern Europe are experiencing globalisation processes, and are being integrated into the ...world economy. Furthermore, whether, how far, why and where they are more strongly subject to macro-regional (international) forces such as European enlargement and integration (“EU-isation”). Therefore, the article attempts to evaluate the interplay of global and macro-regional forces with local and national forces of political and economic transition in shaping the transformation of cities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Prispevek poskuša razložiti nekatere vidike o smislu, obsegu, razlogu in prostoru, kjer mesta srednje in vzhodne Evrope doživljajo globalizacijske procese oziroma so integrirana v svetovno ...gospodarstvo. Nadalje, ali so kje bolj pod vplivi makroregionalnih (mednarodnih) sil, kot sta širitev Evrope in integracija (evropeizacija), v kolikšnem obsegu in zakaj. S tem poskuša prispevek ovrednotiti medsebojno vzajemno igro globalnih in makroregionalnih sil z lokalnimi in državnimi silami politične in ekonomske tranzicije pri oblikovanju sprememb mest srednje in vzhodne Evrope.
Abstract The paper focuses on developing the green infrastructure concept in the emerging strategies of urban resilience and sustainability in response to the multiple challenges facing European ...cities, including Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. In this context resilience is concerned with politically challenging questions about assumptions of equilibrium and the ability of humans to control the environment. Urban resilience can provide a common framework for multidisciplinary action by municipalities and other stakeholders, highlighting the impact of planning urban eco-systems with the development of green infrastructure to meet environmental and spatial challenges. This paper identifies some of these strategies and activities in Ljubljana on the basis of research conducted under the EU FP7 TURAS project (2011-2016). In the inner-city neighbourhood of Tabor, there is already a broad range of collaborative planning and community participation activities (both top-down and bottom-up) towards developing (public and private) green infrastructure. This diverse locality has been identified as a “bridging” area where urban resiliency strategies for green infrastructure development are considered as a tool for implementing urban revitalisation projects in order to sustain viability and improve the quality of life for local residents and other citizens in times of limited financial resources. The research in Tabor shows that developing green infrastructure in keeping with the urban resilience concept is not sufficiently integrated in official spatial planning and municipal action due mainly to institutional and social obstacles.