Sociology and Space, No. 123-124, 1994.
Original scientific paper
The social topography of Zagreb — dichotomy of town and suburb
Ksenija Bašić
Abstract
Housing quality and educational structure,
as indicators of socio-economic status,
show that the centre of Zagreb is an
almost homogeneous area of highest
status, spreading northward from the
Lower Town into the zone of mountain
spurs. To the east and west status falls
gradually; on the north edge the
highest-status sector enters the zone of
urbanized highland villages and the
difference in status is somewhat more
rapid.
North of the railway line socio-economic
status is fairly evenly distributed among
city districts; south of the railway line the
picture becomes much more complicated.
The south-west segment nearer the city
centre is almost uniformly middle-class. In
the fringes new housing developments of
relatively high status are gradually
encroaching on the zone of older
lower-class self-standing houses. In the
south-east segment middle-class areas also
lean on the city centre, but the decrease
in status is very pronounced with distance
from the centre, obviously because this is
where the industrial zone is located.
There is most diversity in the south part
of the city. There the area between the
river Sava and the railway line is planned
as the new business centre, and parts of
it have been reconstructed according to
plan. Housing structure is more
favourable here and the population has a
higher socio-economic status. The south
edge of the city consists of a series of
new, planned residential settlements. The
favourable education structure of their
population and the modern infrastructure
make them better areas, but their
appearance, the actual size of the flats
and the »silos« character of life
differentiates them clearly from the elite
central zones.
Most of the periurban area is of lower
socio-economic status and the indicators
observed are much more homogeneous,
which indicates that Zagreb still has a
relatively small influence on the urban
transformation of its environs, limited to
narrow belts along the main roads.
There is a tendency of population
redistribution from centre to outskirts,
and areas of higher status are appearing
in the outer city zone. This indicates that
Zagreb’s spatial structure is gradually
moving in the same direction as that in
cities of developed countries.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119800
URI
Publication date:
10.6.1994.
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