The late modernist community in the late socialistic block of flats: the issue of urban neighbourhood vitality in Poland

The question of the big-city neighbourhood seems important due to the discussion on the condition of modern cities. The issue is centred on the problems of sustainable development and designing social relations. The problem of the neighbourhood in relation to various forms of residence triggers a discussion rooted in the classic issues of sociology as a discipline. In the proposed article, the researchers address the problem of the late socialistic block of flats, attempting to diagnose the condition of the modern urban community in the developmental context of Central Europe, based on the neoclassic concept of ‘spatially determined social circle’. The text introduces the issues of ‘socialist modernism’ using the available Central European literature. In the research part, the data obtained from an online survey on the subject conducted in 2019 in three Polish cities and from a nationwide online survey on the same subject are statistically analysed. The linear regression analysis suggested the relative vitality of the block form of residence, whose sources are both economic and social. The problem of traditional forms of accommodation and urban neighbourhoods has become a hotly debated political issue that triggers a scientific reflection on the phenomena of integration and disintegration in cities. In this context, the issue of the vitality of the forms of housing seems important not only for diagnosis purposes but also for predictions for the forthcoming decades. The case to be analysed herein is that of the late socialistic block of flats (LSBF) in Central and Eastern European countries, which for some is an anachronistic form of residence whereas for others is a partial solution to the insufficient market dynamics intended to meet people’s housing needs. In this context, we ask four questions based on a hypothesis regarding LSBF urban neighbourhood vitality in Poland. The first question is a partly theoretical question based on the conceptualisation of social circles: To what extent does living in an LSBF modify one’s sense of belonging to a social circle? The second question concerns the empirical findings regarding the LSBF neighbourhood: What is the neighbourhood assessment related to declared residence in an LSBF? The third question concerns more specific subjects related to the LSBF neighbourhood: To what extent does living in an LSBF affect the declared depth of neighbourly relations? The fourth and last question relates to the notion of vitality of the LSBF neighbourhood: Does the length of residence in an LSBF impact the interactions between the neighbours therein? The questions concerning the present-day LSBF cannot be answered without historical references to the concept of the city of socialist modernism. It is only from the genetic perspective dating back to several decades that we can understand the dynamics of the process, which has been marked by a few fundamental tribulations.