pro-market, conservative policies had been prepared at
most countries in the region built their legitimacy,
controversial; nevertheless, during almost the entire
least since the 1960s, when publications were gaining
among others, on the foundations of systematically
socialist period in Central Europe, flats were built on
popularity that disavowed the idea of commons (like
implemented promise to provide housing for everyone,
a mass scale. In Poland, between 1971 and 1980, a total
Garret Hardin’s famous Tragedy of Commons), or fos-
regardless of their profession, financial situation, or
of about 2.5 million apartments were built, and in the
tered the viewers’ belief that the pursuit of private prop-
social standing. Considering the scale of destruction
record year of 1978, as many as 248,000 were put into
erty is embedded in human “nature” (like Defensible
that the region experienced during World War II, and
service.16 In 1960, Hungary embarked on an ambitious
Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design by Oscar
above all, the catastrophic condition of the economies
“fifteen-year plan”. The plan was to build one million
Newman). They were accompanied by TV productions
and living conditions in these countries before the
flats by 1975. It was implemented successively, and in
documenting British council housing complexes, which
war, it would be hard not to appreciate the effects of
the 1970s the number of new apartments was growing
have gone dilapidated during the crises of the 1970s.
this policy. The housing system in Central European
at a rate of more than one hundred thousand each year.17
They suggested that a similar fate inevitably awaits all
countries was not without its drawbacks: flats were often
In Romania, from the beginning of the 1970s, about
public space; therefore, privatization is the most effec-
built from the cheapest materials, their quality left a
one hundred and forty thousand apartments were built
tive way of managing it.15
lot to be desired, the infrastructure accompanying the
annually.18 Moreover, these countries tried to keep the
housing estates was built much more slowly than the
costs of rent as low as possible. World Bank experts
It is worth looking at how neoliberal ideology worked its way in the countries of Central Europe. Before 1989,
residential buildings, so tenants sometimes had to wait
reported with dismay that on the threshold of transfor-
an ambitious housing policy was an essential element
for years until basic services would be provided in their
mation, rent in Hungary was only 3 per cent of house-
of the socialist political project. The authorities of
area. The way the apartments were allocated was also
hold income.19
5
HOW CENTRAL EUROPE LOST ITS RIGHT TO HOUSING, AND HOW TO GET IT BACK
