"Plot by plot urbanism". Mapping post-socialist changes in urban tissues. Case of Krakow and Belgrade. A comparative study

Abstract

This paper presents the final findings of the project on the post-socialist urban form undertaken over the last two years with the support of ISUF, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture, and Cracow University of Technology. Historical evolution, a general review of the planning contexts, analysis of urban tissues, and field visits to Krakow and Belgrade, conducted in the first year, have shaped the selection of cases and the general study that has been undertaken for five case studies from both cities. The cases vary from peripheral areas to major city streets and modernistic settings specific for both cities. The final phase implied a review of three pairs from both cities, preparation of the GIS database, and comparison on several grounds: land use pattern, year by year establishment of new plots, FAR and BAR. Plot by plot development is mainly observed through the analysis of interdependences between construction year and plot size, number of buildings on the plot, and the increase of urban parameters and built and unbuilt ratio. The project highlights parallels of conditions to which similar urban tissues in different countries have been exposed in the post-socialist period and reveals the variety of problems and challenges of urban regulation, land ownership and housing investments in relation to postsocialist urban form.