SESSION 3:

The Urban Morphology of Post Socialism

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Since urban form mirrors the life of society, the proposed session aims to explore relations of society and space as a synthesis of material and immaterial structures which are both witnesses of change and also the determinants of possible development. Since socialism emerged, both as a political and ideological system, it greatly affected the way cities are shaped and the way they function, thus making it necessary to research urban form in the time of post-socialism. Political, social and cultural changes have received much attention, but problems of urban design have not been considered to the same extent.

Research in urban form derives from a wide spectrum of disciplines - geography, urban history, architecture, urban planning and urban design. An interdisciplinary approach is therefore necessary and it is intended that this will be the result of a wide variety of individual contributions. The intention is to present detailed images of the changes of urban form ranging in scale from the city through to its component elements as a result of the major changes in urban law and regulation, standards, economies, land ownership, societal needs, and change of habits. The inherited patterns and culture of planning of different states suggests that these changes are not homogenous and vary from country to country.

The intention is through an understanding of the changes brought about in the built environment through social and economic processes to maintain, improve and guide further development.​

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Session chairs:

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Dr. Anna Agata Kantarek, Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology, Poland; akanta@poczta.onet.pl

Dr. Anna Agata Kantarek is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Urban Design, and the head of Division of Urban Spaces. Her the most important published works include “Contemporary idea of urban block in town structure”, on the example of realizations in Paris 1977-1997, published in 2004 in Polish, and “On orientation in urban space”, published in 2008 in Polish, in 2013 in English.

 

MSc. Ivor Samuels, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Morphology Research Group, School of Geography, Birmingham University; ivor.samuels@googlemail.com

Ivor Samuels is a registered Architect and Town Planner, visiting professor at several universities and a regular contributor to Urban Morphology Journal. Former Chair Joint Centre for Urban Design, Oxford Brookes University, UK.

 

M.Arch. Aleksandra Djordjevic, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia; aleksandra.djor@gmail.com  

Aleksandra Djordjevic is a PhD candidate interested in Urban planning and post socialist development. Currently she is employed as a teaching assistant at the Department of Urbanism.

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