Urbanization and suburbanization in the urban regions of Prague and Vienna: Structural differences in the presence of different political-economic regimes
Abstract
The article comparatively evaluates urbanization and suburbanization in urban regions of Prague and Vienna during the last decade of communism and first years of transition to a capitalist society. In the 1980s, the pattern of urbanization radically differed between the two cities with urbanization in Prague and suburbanization developing in Vienna.
The 1990s were characterised by rapid suburban growth rates in both cities. However, they were achieved under a specific structural characteristic, namely due to the low share of population and housing in the rings of their urban regions.
Beside suburbanization, Vienna retains strong urban development of the city core through public support for new housing construction, housing rehabilitation, and regeneration and conversion of old inner city brownfields. Sustainable development in Prague is currently threatened by a lack of coordination of development at the urban regional level leading to decentralization and an unregulated fragmented sprawl-like pattern of suburban growth.