Urban shrinkage and housing in a post-socialist city: relationship between the demographic evolution and housing development in Łódź, Poland

Abstract

For several decades, urban shrinkage has been a common pathway of demographic development for many large cities throughout Europe. Although this process began after the collapse of communism in most countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), it should not be interpreted merely as a consequence of systemic transformation. This process was accompanied by the rapid withdrawal of state involvement in the housing sector, which resulted in an escalation of the housing shortage inherited from the socialist period. Thus, the aim of this article is to present a perspective of shrinking in CEE, which is often marginalized in the global discourse on shrinkage. The main purpose is to investigate the relationship between housing and demographic changes after the collapse of communism and answer the following question: Is the old housing structure a positive legacy, a patrimonial inheritance, or a burden in the context of demographic decline? Methodologically, this paper is a case study illustrating the transformations of housing within the context of the historical and spatial demographic development in the selected city. We focus our attention on the example of Łódź, Poland, which reflects the entire CEE spectrum of problems associated with shrinkage while presenting some particularities. However, the shrinkage phenomenon in Łódź also presents an opportunity for improving future housing options. Within a wider context, this example can be considered a lens for the very complex demographic and housing situation of CEE cities. This case shows that legacies of the communist regime influence the relationship between the demographic decline and housing situation and that even a city with a high range in the urban network can be affected by a severe decline.

Does urban shrinkage require urban policy? The case of a post-industrial region in Poland

“…For example, most cooperative and communal apartments were privatized (cf. Szafrańska et al, 2019). On the other hand, the 'informal right-sizing' model of cities was visible.…”

“…In recent decades, depopulation and urban shrinkage has touched many regions and towns worldwide (Mykhnenko & Turok, 2008;Oswalt & Rieniets, 2006). These processes take the most intensive course in (post)industrial regions (Constantinescu, 2012;Keil & Wetterau, 2013;Slach et al, 2015;Szafrańska et al, 2019). An example of such a region with large-scale depopulation is the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland, and particularly the Katowice and Rybnik mining and industrial conurbations located within it.…”

Polish Urban Allotment Gardens as ‘Slow City’ Enclaves

“…The aging of UAG users is the most serious problem, as it means weakening of the social influence that can oppose the monetization of urban space and its use for recreation [61]. The lack of urban policies addressing aging in Polish cities is particularly important here, because the process of adapting space and infrastructure to the needs of older people has only just begun [62], and the development of projects related to counteracting social isolation and loneliness of older people in cities should be assessed as insufficient.…”

Urban Shrinkage and Sustainability: Assessing the Nexus between Population Density, Urban Structures and Urban Sustainability

“…For example, outmigration in V4 countries (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary) was from the 2000s most often directed to suburban locations in the outskirts of larger and medium-sized cities, resulting in population decline in urban cores [72]. This exodus from inner cities can be explained on one hand by older housing stock that during state socialism suffered from ideologically motivated disinvestment [73][74][75] and on the other by the presence of mass housing estates of scope unknown to the West [12] (p. 305). These were supposed to counteract housing shortage [7,9] in rapidly urbanizing socialist countries [76], yet in some cities, the shortage has endured to this day.…”

“…These were supposed to counteract housing shortage [7,9] in rapidly urbanizing socialist countries [76], yet in some cities, the shortage has endured to this day. Thus, some shrinking post-socialist cities do not face vacancies [74] to the extent common in the West (e.g., [77]). In the context of limitations on redevelopment in inner cities [78], and "changing consumption patterns" [72] (p. 1369), economic change has led to an increase in income disparities and emergence of blighted districts for the poor, and flight of the rich to the newly built inner-city enclaves and suburban areas [73].…”