Planning, markets, and patterns of residential growth in metropolitan prague

This paper analyzes the patterns of urban growth and land-use change in metropolitan Prague since the collapse of the socialist regime in 1989. The discussion is focused on the growth and dispersal of single-family development as the most clearly pronounced shift in the spatial evolution of the Czech capital in the last two decades. The observed processes of residential suburbanization are related to the impact of market forces and planning. The main thesis is that while suburbanization has been fueled by market forces, post-socialist planning has played a significant role in new residential development patterns as well. This argument differs from the view commonly presented in the literature, which renders post-socialist planning weak and inconsequential. The study concludes that while municipal governments in Prague's metropolitan area have been successful in pursuing their individual goals, the attainment of sustainable metropolitan growth objectives requires a level of intergovernmental coordination that has been acutely lacking since the beginning of the transition period. © 2012, Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc