On the Nature of Neighborhood Relations in Late-Socialist Blocks of Flats (LSBF): Evidence from Poland

The paper analyses the neighborhood relations within late-socialist blocks of flats (LSBF) in contemporary Poland. LSBF were a response to the housing famine of the post-war years and were constructed with the ideas and tools provided by the followers of Le Corbusier’s modernism. LSBF were part of latesocialist housing policy. They still constitute a very important element of the urban landscape and have served as a source of inspiration for subsequent development projects. This paper attempts to conceptualize neighborhoods in LSBF. It analyses the historical context of LSBF and presents the results of empirical studies conducted in three different-sized locations: a small town (Wronki), a large city (Poznan), and a metropolis and at the same time the country’s capital (Warsaw). The paper employs comparative statistical analysis, considering variables that may affect neighborhood specificity. The results of our study indicate a relatively high degree of vitality in neighborhood ties among residents in LSBFs.