Housing policy and architecture in Socialist Yugoslavia

Stambena politika socijalističke Jugoslavije tijekom čitavog razdoblja 1945.-1990. konstantno je meandrirala skačući iz jednog sustava u drugi, pokušavajući iznaći rješenje za kontinuirani i gorući problem stambene krize. Počevši od administrativno-budžetskog pa sve do sustava društveno usmjerene stambene izgradnje, politika zapravo nikada nije do kraja uspjela pronaći optimalnu i adekvatnu soluciju, jednu koja bi zadovoljila sve sudionike tih procesa. Društveni stan bio je pojam kojem se težilo i koji se glorificiralo, dok se na stanove i vlasnike stanova u privatnom vlasništvu često gledalo poprijeko, pogotovo u slučajevima kada bi neki od njih iskoristili blagodati oba sustava. Stambena arhitektura, koja je činila neizostavni dio socijalističke Jugoslavije kada je riječ o stanogradnji, u inicijalnoj fazi trudila se pratiti dosege svojih istočnih susjeda, pretežito Sovjetskog Saveza, a u kasnijoj fazi i zapadnih zemalja. Od svoje početne faze funkcionalizma pa sve do postmodernizma kao svog posljednjeg stadija arhitektura se trudila biti u korak s modernim vremenima. Iako često osporavana i kritizirana, dojam je da ona nije previše odudarala od svjetskih trendova koje je pratila i da je u trenutcima kad je bilo potrebno ispunila baš ono čemu je i bila inicijalno namijenjena – poslužila je svrsi.The housing policy of socialist Yugoslavia throughout the period 1945-1990. constantly meandered by jumping from one system to another, trying to find a solution to the ongoing and burning problem of the housing crisis. Starting from the so called administrative-budget system to the system of socially oriented housing, the politics has never really been able to find the optimal and adequate solution, one that would satisfy all participants in these processes. Social housing was an aspirational and glorified term, while privately owned flats and landlords were often viewed cross-sectionally, especially where some of them would benefit from the benefits of both systems. Housing architecture, which was an integral part of socialist Yugoslavia when it came to housing, initially sought to follow the reach of its eastern neighbours, mainly the Soviet Union, and afterwards the Western countries. From its initial functionalist phase until postmodernism as its final stage, architecture has struggled to keep up with modern times. Although often contested and criticized, the impression is that it did not deviate too much from the global trends it followed and that when it was needed, it fulfilled exactly what it was originally intended for – it served a purpose