Planning Capital Cities

Suburbanisation in Sofia: changing the spatial structure of a post-communist city

Second, the suburbanisation in Sofia is a far less pronounced and universal

phenomenon than in the Western cities. In spite of the observed trends, the

process of spatial restructuring is relatively slow. In fact, the spatial macro-

structure of Sofia hasn’t substantially and dramatically changed since 1992.

The suburban zone’s relative share of the total population of the Municipality

has increased from 14.0 to 15.9 %. The share of the large panel housing estates

has decreased by only 0.3 %, and more than a half of the total municipality

population still lives there. Even the city centre, where the physical and

functional changes have been most visible, has decreased its share of the total

population by slightly more than 4 %.

Third, often the primary motive for moving to the suburbs is the escaping from

the panel apartments, not from the city. After many years of ‘collective’ living

in high-rise panel blocks, now there is an increased demand for more spacious

living in individual houses and condominiums. Sometimes this demand

could only be satisfied in the suburbs rather than in the city, where it would

be prohibitively expensive. Tosics argues that in many cases the motives for

Fig. 12, 13
A suburban gated community in
Pancharevo. (Google Earth)