The Impact of Tourism on Residential Experience in Central-eastern Europe: The Development of a New Legitimation Crisis in the Czech Republic

Abstract

This paper argues that rapid and unfettered commercial tourism development in the historic core of Prague is playing a major role in the transformation of its social, spatial and cultural characteristics, changes which are encapsulating residential experience. Whilst recognising the potential positive economic bene® ts of tourism, we argue that the inherent pressures of commercialisation and touristi® cation are creating new tensions which, if not addressed, are likely to contribute signi® cantly to the creation of a new legitimation crisis in the Czech Republic, one epitomised by an inability to establish universal support for neo-liberal capitalist accumulation as a sustainable path for political and economic reform. Although largely impressionistic in method, this exposition seeks to offer, with the aid of comparative analyses of other European cities, observations which provide insights that may bene® t a broader empirical investigation and debate on residential experience, one that is enhanced by the interdisciplinary links between housing and tourism. More speci® cally, it explores the complex interrelationship between residential experience and tourism, arguing that the former illuminates a deeper understanding of the power relationships driving developmental processesÐ in this case, tourist-driven regeneration. In their determination to achieve compatibility with neo-liberal accumulation regimes, the post-communist governments of the Czech Republic appear to be neglecting, at the macro level, the broader social and environmental objectives of minimising social exclusion and protecting the nation's cultural heritage. It is too early to assess whether the new administration has recognised the need to realign policies closer to the traditional Czech value of political consensus. However, despite the creation of a distinct planning system within Prague, which recognises the emergence of a new`income e  lite' alongside the`socially weak', state-driven political and economic policies appear to be exacerbating these new social cleavages and creating the incipient signs of a`clone city'. We suggest the need for an alternative vision of`capitalism', one that enables the inclusion of a broad range of interests in decision-making, if Havel's dream of a`civil society' is to be realised.

The Impact of Noosa National Park on Surrounding Property Values: An Application of the Hedonic Price Method

“…Studies have shown that tourist destinations are not always desirable places to live (Jakus and Siegel 1997;Cooper and Morpeth 1998), and Noosa is a tourist town. NNP may provide amenities such as open and recreation space, natural views and possible wildlife sightings, e.g.…”

Differences in the spatial patterns of urban tourism in Vienna and Prague

“…Published studies (see Johnson, 1995;Cooper & Morpeth, 1998;Hoffman & Musil, 1999;Simpson, 1999;Deichmann, 2002;Hoffman & Musil, 2009) support the assumption resulting from this location analysis of tourist and local infrastructures and the author's experiences on location: Prague suffers from many more of these symptoms. In Prague the presence of tourists is stronger in the central areas, causing reported situations of tourist congestion and the almost complete withdrawal of local users and infrastructures.…”

“…Fortunately for today's tourists, the integrity and preservation of Prague's historical urban landscape and monuments was an important issue for Czech intellectuals from the early nineteenth century onwards and also during Differences in the spatial patterns of urban tourism in Vienna and Prague communism because they were considered representational proof of Czech national identity (Hoffman & Musil, 1999;Simpson, 1999). Surprisingly, these conservationist ideas were helped by the communist economic structure itself because the centralised price and rent controls prevented central locations from becoming targets for property development (Cooper & Morpeth, 1998 The major difference in the tourist usages of these historical centres comes from their diverse urban morphologies and the differing development of their tourism industries in the second half of the twentieth century. and Golden Lane (Cz.…”

“…The most profitable property use was tied to tourism, and the booming numbers of tourists were served where they concentrated most, around the main sites of attraction. Entire buildings in the centre were converted from residential use to hotels and most street-front spaces changed to bars, restaurants and souvenir shops, transforming the once-rich cultural, shopping and residential urban fabric into a mono-functional tourist environment (Cooper & Morpeth, 1998). There was no professional or social will to regulate the spatial or economic arrangement of the growing tourist industry because central planning was viewed as a communist method, and so the urban planning was negligible, even though a comprehensive Strategic Plan for Prague was created in 1996 (see Tsenkova, 2011).…”

Tourist Intensity in Capital Cities in Central Europe: Comparative Analysis of Tourism in Prague, Vienna and Budapest

“…A similar gap in the urban tourism research is visible in Central Europe where urban tourism literature is limited in scope (e.g. Cooper & Morpeth, 1998;Simpson, 1999;Clift & Carter, 2000). The same holds true for the tourism research on Prague (Hoffman & Musil, 2009;Čermáková, 2012;Dumbrovská, 2013;Šauer & Holešinská, in press).…”