Sasha Tsenkova

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toronto & Doctor of Philosophy, Technical University Prague
• Professor at University of Calgary

Harnessing large urban housing estates in former socialist countries as a resource for the future housing supply requires innovative and practicable strategies and concepts. What are the challenges to be overcome? How can the often mono-structural estates be altered, and how can spatial and cultural identities be reinforced? Which role does the com...

This chapter focuses on adaptive reuse of heritage for affordable housing in Canadian cities. The issue is critical in the context of efforts to create socially inclusive and affordable cities through integrated urban planning, heritage conservation and housing policies. The research has three main components. First, it provides a framework for fut...

A growing affordability problem in Canadian cities has prompted a renewed commitment of the federal government, complemented with provincial and municipal programs, to increase the supply of affordable rental housing. Recently, large Canadian cities have joined their efforts with non-profit and private organisations to provide affordable rental hou...

This chapter investigates the implementation of energy efficiency measures through a variety of renovation and retrofit programs aimed at improving the social housing stock in Toronto. The analysis reviews the main programs implemented during 2009–2013 with a focus on funding mechanisms, implementation criteria, types of retrofits completed and out...

The chapter introduces the rationale for the comparative research in the book and its objectives. It situates this first assessment of the energy-efficiency retrofit programs in the social housing sector of Canadian cities in a theoretical framework focused on policy design. The chapter outlines an analytical framework for evaluation of program eff...

The objective of this chapter is to review the results of the 2-year Canada Economic Action Plan targeting the upgrading of the social housing stock in Alberta, particularly in its largest cities—Edmonton and Calgary. The research identified eight types of retrofits that pertain mostly to building envelope and technical systems. The results from a...

This chapter provides an overview of the energy efficiency retrofit programs in the social housing sector of three provinces (British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta) in the post Canada Economic Action Plan period (2014–2020). It illustrates how different provincial priorities and housing policies affect program design and strategies for implementati...

The chapter focuses on the financial and institutional mechanisms and types of retrofits in the provincial, non-profit and cooperative housing portfolio achieved through Canada Economic Action Plan and other provincial programs in British Columbia. The research is exploratory and is the first overview of these policies with an emphasis on challenge...

The chapter identifies the connection between national and provincial energy policies and efforts to adapt existing housing to reduce energy consumption, improve its quality and establish more resilient models of service delivery. The nexus of such policies affects the design and the evolution of programs and their implementation. This review of de...

This chapter presents important lessons from the first systematic evaluation of social housing energy retrofit programs in the last decade. Recognizing the potential impact of energy savings in social housing, the comparative research focused on the experiences of three provinces in Canada—BC, Ontario and Alberta—to highlight the diversity of appro...

This chapter investigates the implementation of energy efficiency measures through a variety of renovation and retrofit programs aimed at improving the social housing stock in Toronto and Vancouver. The analysis profiles six case studies implemented during 2015–2019 period. These projects represent the renovation strategies of major social/affordab...

The objective of our research is to explore an important aspect of social sustainability— neighborhood cohesion—in a suburban context by comparing performance across three dimensions—sense of place attachment, sense of community, and social interaction of residents. We hypothesize that neighborhood cohesion might be high, but there might be some ph...

This book provides the first comparative assessment of the energy-efficiency retrofit programs in the social housing sector of Canadian cities, focusing on program efficiency and effectiveness. The analytical framework explores key policy instruments - regulatory, fiscal and institutional - in relation to major results achieved. The approach is int...

Neighbourhood cohesion is a desirable outcome of socially sustainable communities. However, such an outcome is not necessarily associated with suburban master-planned communities. This empirical research measures affective and interactive dimensions of neighbourhood cohesion and their correlations with residents' perception of neighbourhood uniquen...

This study explores the changes in the regional growth patterns in the nine largest Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) between 1990 and 2010. We analyzed whether the metropolitan areas matched the Inside Game (i.e., intensification) with a strong Outside Game (i.e., regional planning) of growth management as represented by physical growth pa...

Recent evolution of social housing policies in Mexico promoted deregulation of housing finance and a shift from top-down publicly controlled provision of social housing to a corporate model of social housing development based on subsidised homeownership for low- and middle income households. While innovation through mortgage-backed certificates mob...

Since the late 1990s, the Smart Growth agenda has found broad acceptance within Canadian planning as a framework for sustainable development. Smart Growth emerged as a response to decades of peripheral, low-density, segregated, and auto-oriented growth that dominated urbanization patterns in North America post-WWII. Although Smart Growth and its po...

The recent global crisis exposed vulnerabilities of housing markets pointing to the need to build resilience through better policy tools and sustainable provision of social housing. In the context of fiscal austerity social housing is on trial affected by changing politics, privatization and concentration of urban poverty. This special issue explor...

Resilience has risen rapidly over the last decade to become one of the key terms in international policy and academic discussions associated with civil contingencies and crisis management. As government and institutions confront threats like environmental hazards, technological accidents, climate change, and terrorist attacks, they recognize that r...

The article provides the first comparative assessment of the energy-efficiency retrofit programs in social housing of the largest cities in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, focusing on program efficiency and effectiveness. The analytical framework explores key policy instruments – regulatory, fiscal and institutional – in relation to major re...

Partnerships have a long history in European social housing with a mixed degree of success. They are an emerging model in post-socialist countries driven by budgetary constraints, rapid privatisation of public housing, and pragmatic efforts to respond to a complex housing affordability crisis. This article evaluates the challenges and opportunities...

Background How do we make healthy places—communities that allow people to grow up, live, work, play and remain healthy in a safe and stimulating environment? The vision of healthy places is inspiring and the journey from specific professional paradigms to long-term, holistic solutions is critical for successful implementation. The presentation expl...

This paper builds on extensive literature exploring the impact of internal and external structural characteristics of a neighbourhood on its identity and the social cohesion of residents. We look at physical structural aspects of newly planned suburban neighbourhoods, focusing on key characteristics such as access, connectivity, built form, housing...

Following a rapid transition to markets, democracy and private enterprise, Serbia’s capital Belgrade is emerging as a ‘global city’, but this ambition is coming at a cost to the environment and a loss of sense of place for its people. Diverse identities and changing values over time are being challenged as the city transitions out of a complex soci...

Avtorica v članku preučuje glavne trende in vzorce sprememb v splošnem procesu gospodarske, socialne in politične preobrazbe, ki preoblikuje urbanistične izzive v vzhodnoevropskih mestih. Obravnava pomembna gonila sprememb, kot so prizadevanja za oblikovanje tržnega stanovanjskega sistema in konkurenčnih stanovanjskih trgov v postsocialističnem urb...

This article explores major trends and patterns of change embedded in the overall process of economic, social and political transformation reshaping the urban challenges in eastern European cities. It reflects on important drivers of change such as efforts to create a market-based housing system and competitive housing markets in the post-communist...

This article explores the new planning regimes and planning processes in post-socialist countries and their ability to influence the spatial transformation of cities. It views planning institutions as culturally embedded in the overall process of economic, social, and political transition, while recognizing the power of specific local imperatives a...

The paper provides an overview of trends and processes of change affecting new social housing provision in Prague and Warsaw. The local responses are reviewed within the context of changes to the national housing system defining the performance of municipal and non-profit housing sectors. The research analyses the mix of policy instruments implemen...

The entry offers a point of view on the quality of life in resource based communities in Canada especially regarding the social dimension and regional dynamics.

Efforts to manage Canadian cities through smart growth policies emphasize the importance of integrated public transit system and bicycle-transit integration. The goal of this paper is to review the impact of planning policies that promote utilitarian cycling on the provision of bicycle facilities (pathways, bikeways and parking) in Calgary. The foc...

This article explores major trends and patterns of change embedded in the overall process of economic, social and political transformation reshaping the urban challenges in eastern European cities. It reflects on important drivers of change such as efforts to create a market-based housing system and competitive housing markets in the post-communist...

Introduction: housing policy reformsThe main focus of this special issue is on housing policy reforms in post-socialist Europe and their long lasting impacts on housing inequalities and the position of different socio-economic groups on the housing market. The contributions offer insights into important research issues such as the challenges of aff...

Increasing recognition of the negative impact of low-density urban developments on the quality of physical, economic, and social environments generated a range of approaches to growth management to control sprawl. Effective growth management strategies vary across cities depending on development history, geography, and demographic and economic cont...

This article provides an overview of the major changes affecting the housebuilding industry in postsocialist countries. It highlights the impact of privatisation and industrial restructuring on ownership, size, and performance of the industry and explores the trends in new housing construction across the region. The analysis of major forms of housi...

In Eastern Europe, the 1990s have marked a departure from a state-controlled system of housing provision, with deregulation of housing markets and privatisation of public housing being the flagship of the reform process. This chapter provides an overview of these housing reforms and their impact on the development of a competitive system of housing...

This article explores the possible transformation of informal developments in southeast Europe into viable neighborhoods through strategic urban plans. Informal settlements grew rapidly in the 1990s, accommodating thousands of economic migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people. Although this phenomenon has reshaped post-socialist cities i...

The embedding of energy efficiency in the management of individual housing organisations is crucial for the realization of current ambitious energy efficiency policies. This issue is examined for the first time in this book through an analysis of selected case studies in new ‘green’ buildings, as well as in the retrofitting of existing housing, mai...

Recognising the high impact of energy savings in the residential sector, the government has introduced The Renewable Energy Initiative in 2009 providing $70 million for energy efficiency upgrades of existing and new social housing with another $2 billion in Canada's Economic Action Plan. In the context of this new political commitment this research...

Recent planning practice in post-communist cities in-dicates a growing interest in strategic spatial planning. In their search for new planning paradigms and more flexible approaches to city planning, municipalities in post-communist cities have embraced strategic planning as a way to involve residents, the business community and various stakeholde...

Energy efficiency has gained a lot of prominence in recent debates on urban sustainability and housing policy due to its potential consequences for climate change. At the local, national and also international level, there are numerous initiatives to promote energy savings and the use of renewable energy to reduce the environmental burden. There is...

V zadnjih letih se v načrtovalski praksi v posocialističnih mestih kaže rastoče zanimanje za strateško prostorsko načrtovanje. V iskanju novih načrtovalskih paradigem in prožnejših urbanističnih pristopov so občine posocialističnih mest strateško načrtovanje privzele kot način, na katerega je mogoče prebivalce, poslovno skupnost in različne deležni...

In the context of growing shortages of affordable housing in Alberta, the policy discourse in the last decade has centered on ways to get the private sector involved through a variety of public-private partnerships, policy incentives and regulatory measures. This research explores alternatives for private sector engagement in the provision of affor...

This comparative research explores the dynamics of housing market systems in thirteen reforming socialist economies. Specifically the study has the following objectives: (i) to undertake comparative analysis of policy reforms and performances of the housing sector; (ii) to develop a set of indicators of performance and policy that provide a robust...

In some post-communist cities, the formation of informal settlements is a phenomenon associated with the wave of urbanisation of the 1960s and 1970s. In others, the phenomenon is connected with the influx of immigrants and refugees in the 1990s. Informal settlement areas are the result of various factors: inadequate spatial planning, outdated and c...

V nekaterih postsocialističnih mestih je nastajanje neformalnih naselij pojav, povezan z valom urbanizacije v šestdesetih in sedemdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja, v drugih pa s pritokom priseljencev in beguncev v devetdesetih letih. Območja neformalnih naselij nastajajo zaradi različnih dejavnikov: neustreznega prostorskega načrtovanja, zastarele...

The Moldovan housing contextPrivatization of housing in MoldovaCase studyConclusion NotesReferences

Scope and aim of the bookDevelopments and challenges in former communist countriesDevelopments and challenges in Western Europe and AustraliaApproach of the bookNotesReferences

IntroductionHousing contexts and privatisation policiesApproaches and challenges for the management of privatised housingImplications for policyConcluding remarksNoteReferences

The Dutch housing contextPrivatisation of housing in The NetherlandsCase studyConclusion AcknowledgementNotesReferences

Various types of planning policy evaluation can occur at different points of policy formation and application. This research paper develops a framework for ex post evaluation of community plans, drawing on the main sustainability goals and objectives of the Sustainable Suburbs Study-a major planning policy document adopted by the City of Calgary in...

The book 'Housing Policy and Housing Market Indicators Survey' focuses on regional study on trends and progress in housing reforms in Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro. One stream of comparative housing research on transition economies is dr...

The challenge of facilitating economic density is fundamental for successful urbanization. Flexible and forward-looking institutions that help the efficient functioning of land markets are vital in this respect. In particular, institutional arrangements for regulating land use, managing public land and allocating land rights have significant implic...

The paper explores major trends and patterns of change embedded in the overall process of economic, social and political transformation that profoundly influence the spatial adaptation and repositioning of post-socialist cities. It reflects on important issues such as the efforts to create competitive, socially inclusive and well-governed cities in...

Recent planning experiences in post-socialist cities indicate a growing interest in strategic spatial planning. In their search for new planning paradigms, municipalities in transition countries have embraced strategic planning as a way to involve the business community and the broader constituency in defining a vision for the future of cities. Mor...

The book 'The urban mosaic of post-socialist Europe,' focuses on the processes of economic, societal, institutional and spatial change, with emphasis on the implications for urban planning and policy in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The most basic contextual elements affecting how post-socialist cities develop are the political r...

The book 'The post-socialist urban world,' focuses on trends and processes of change that were witnessed in post-socialist cities worldwide, having undergone a dramatic economic, social and cultural change. National economies in the post-socialist world have become increasingly integrated within a global system of production, distribution and excha...

Luan Deda and Sasha Tsenkova discuss how the nature of poverty in Greater Tirana's peri-urban areas can illuminate the multifaceted problem of urban-poverty and inequality in post-socialist Albania. The relative measurement of poverty aims to show the level of inequality, but it is highly dependent on the availability of adequate institutions for c...

Sasha Tsenkova reviews the book 'Beyond transitions: Understanding urban change in post-socialist cities.' The urban system serves as the primary channel linking the national economy to the system of global cities. New intergovernmental institutions and new fiscal relations devolve many responsibilities from the central to the local level without e...

The post-socialist countries that started the transition with housing market conditions, legal infrastructures, and traditions very different from those of market economies have also experienced extreme dislocations and rapidly increasing poverty. The initial economic, social and institutional conditions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well...

The book explores urban dynamics in post-socialist Europe 15 years after the fall of communism. The ‘urban mosaic’ metaphor expresses the complexity, diversity and uniqueness of the processes and spatial outcomes in post-socialist cities. The book examines the urban development and the policy and planning processes that have resulted from the socio...

This paper explores the impact of housing reforms on public rented housing in Eastern Europe, using Latvia and Ukraine as case studies. The focus on public housing is important, since in both countries municipalities and state institutions are the major social landlords. Rent structures are not sensitive to demand or quality of housing services and...

Latvia has the legacy of an excessively controlled housing system, which operated from 1940 to 1991. The system was based on low housing costs, centralized production and state control over housing allocation. Home ownership was discouraged, all housing was social and universally affordable due to extensive subsidies and macroeconomic regulation of...

The paper conceptualises the process of transition from a centrally planned to a market-based housing system focusing on processes of change in the emerging home ownership markets. The Bulgarian housing situation, given the legacy of 90% home ownership, offers both opportunities and challenges as a setting for a case study. On the one hand, it enab...

The objective of this paper is to explore the extent to which state intervention and market forces affect the housing provision system. Existing Bulgarian housing policy reform will be analysed with particular emphasis on the dynamics of change, the formation of a new market-oriented system and its considerable impact on innovation in the structure...