The Post Socialist City: Continuity and Change in Urban Space and Imagery

The socialist ideals of the early twentieth century argued for a radical overhaul of architectural philosophy, reasserting the value of public space and redefining all forms of creative endeavor towards the benefit of the collective. These ideals were realized in the design of public buildings, streets and squares, as well as in films, literature and the visual arts. Urban planning under Eastern European Socialism is consequently inseparable from its ideological aspirations, and while its governmental structure may have collapsed, its architectural expressions remain. Over the last decade, however, many classic buildings of this era have been stripped of their political import, being repurposed or even destroyed. The Post Socialist City reveals that many cities across Eastern Europe remain dominated by the industrial complexes and panel buildings erected by Socialism, and analyzes the implications of the uses to which they have subsequently been put.