Abstract
The chapter is based on several inter-related studies of social environment in suburbs. The process of suburbanization is a major cause of the change in social and demographic structures of local populations and also brings new problems in coexistence among new residents and a risk of polarization in relations between old residents and newcomers.
The case study of Jesenice, which became the largest Czech suburbium, is a very specific example of an extremely transformed environment. It appears to be a most convenient locality to map the negative changes in social capital and social climate.
It seems that the described social problems do not stem not from the polarization between the groups of newcomers and old-timers, but more from the pressure of the new and rapid development on the landscape, local society and technical and social infrastructure. The chapter offers a subjective view of the local population and reassesses the negative perception of social cohesion and lifestyle in suburbia.