PREFIGURING THE RIGHT TO HOUSING: FROM POST-SOCIALIST CHALLENGES TO NEW MODELS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN CROATIA AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
PREFIGURING THE RIGHT TO HOUSING: FROM POST-SOCIALIST CHALLENGES TO NEW MODELS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN CROATIA AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the transformation of housing systems in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina after the post-socialist transition and explores how new models of housing can integrate social justice and sustainability. Using the conceptual framework developed by Oosterlynck et al. [1], the study examines the relationship between property structures, social autonomy, and community contexts in both countries. A qualitative comparative analysis, supported by case studies from Split, Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Mostar, reveals how privatization, weak institutional frameworks, and speculative development have eroded the social function of housing. The research draws on critical urban theory, particularly Lefebvre’s and Harvey’s interpretations of the right to the city, and Rolnik’s analysis of housing financialization. The findings indicate that both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina face a structural deficit of affordable housing and institutional fragmentation, but also that emerging cooperative and community-led initiatives point to possible pathways of reform. By linking theoretical reflection with practical implications, the paper proposes the establishment of an Adriatic Housing Lab — a regional platform for policy innovation, knowledge exchange, and pilot projects promoting social and ecological housing. The research contributes to broader debates on urban justice and sustainable development in postsocialist Europe.

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