Original scientific paper

The Pyramidal Network of Settlements in Croatia

Dušica Seferagić ; Institute for Social Research in Zagreb

Abstract

In the paper the author analyses the changes in Croatian society caused
by socialist, transitional and neo-liberal periods. The main change is in the deregulation
of the State’s role and the introduction of the market economy as well as different
actors into the game. The spatial changes concern structural rather than numerical
content. Many small villages have become even smaller while big cities
have grown, but more in their surroundings than in themselves. That is a feature of
third and fore urbanizations. Croatia’s settlement structure is “mildly” pyramidal
with Zagreb at the top of the pyramid; it is the biggest, the best equipped in the
technical and social sense, and has the most heterogeneous social structure. Yet
those factors do not reduce its problems – largely the huge social inequalities between
the very rich and the very poor, in this case in spatial terms.
Only fore macro regional centres have developmental capabilities, while middle
and small towns and villages do not have them. That is mostly due to political and
economic decisions which favour big settlements and not smaller ones. These conclusions
have been reached on the basis of several IDIZ sociological research projects.

Keywords

Settlements network; globalization; transition; social and spatial inequalities

Hrčak ID:

93829

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/93829

Publication date:

22.12.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian french

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