Urban Change and Urban Development Strategies in Central East Europe: A Selective Assessment of Events Since 1989

This introductory article to the present collection outlines a comparative research perspective that focuses on processes of post‐socialist urban transformation and strategies of urban regeneration in different cities of Central Eastern Europe. In particular, urban regeneration will be discussed within the context of post‐socialist urban governance and processes of institutional change. This paper consists of three sections. The first deals with trends of socio‐spatial change, including “shrinkage”, socio‐economic polarization, industrial restructuring and simultaneous tends of gentrification and “downgrading” within inner city neighbourhoods. Discussion then follows with an overview of urban development challenges associated with these socio‐spatial changes. We will also describe at length conceptual approaches of strategic planning as a form of governance that addresses processes of urban decline. Critical sources of debate that stem for the experiences of West European cities will be summarized and their relevance to East German and Central European contexts discussed. The last part of the essay provides brief overviews of the six essays featured in this special issue of European Planning Studies, indicating how they address questions of urban regeneration and the strategic management of urban development processes.