The Driving Forces of Post-Socialist Change -- The urban mosaic of post-socialist Europe -- Beyond transitions: Understanding urban change in post-socialist cities -- Institutional and spatial change -- Wall and mall: A metaphor for metamorphosis -- The spatial structures of Central and Eastern European cities -- Urban Processes and Spatial Change -- The changing spatial structure of post-socialist Sofia -- Spatial restructuring in post-socialist Budapest -- Poverty and inequality in Greater Tirana: The reality of peri-urban areas -- Urban Functions: Housing and Retail -- Urban housing markets in transition: New instruments to assist the poor -- Conquering the inner-city: Urban redevelopment and gentrification in Moscow -- The role of property rights reforms in Warsaw’s housing market -- The retail revolution in post-socialist Central Europe and its lessons -- Spatial imprints of urban consumption: large-scale retail development in Warsaw -- Urban Planning and Policy Responses -- Planning and societal context — The case of Belgrade, Serbia -- Entrepreneurial governance and the urban restructuring of a Slovakian town -- Urban redevelopment programmes in Kazan, Russia -- Urban policies and the politics of public space in Bucharest -- The post-socialist urban world.

The book explores urban dynamics in post-socialist Europe 15 years after the fall of communism. The ‘urban mosaic’ metaphor expresses the complexity, diversity and uniqueness of the processes and spatial outcomes in post-socialist cities. The book examines the urban development and the policy and planning processes that have resulted from the socio-economic, political, and institutional transformations characterizing the move to markets and democracy. The emerging urban phenomena are illustrated with in-depth case studies, sensitive to historical themes, cultural issues and the socialist legacy. Cities featured in the book include: Kazan, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Prague, Komarno, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia and Tirana. The edited volume is organized around the following four themes: the driving forces of post-socialist change; urban processes and spatial change; housing and retail sector transformation; and urban planning and policy responses. "This volume provides an impressive overview of the dramatic transformations in the urban fabric and housing systems of post-socialist Europe". Larry S. Bourne, Professor of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto "This text is a brave attempt to bring together a range of understandings of how urban systems are developing in post-socialist Europe, using both comparative data across countries and case studies of individual cities." Christine Whitehead, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics