Governing the Transformation of the Built Environment in Post-socialist Bratislava

Abstract

The paper focuses on the fate of a former industrial area in Bratislava, the former Kablo plant, where a new central business district (CBD) will be built. Particular attention is paid to the conflict over the preservation of some historic structures on the site, and the role the local government played in efforts to preserve them. First, however, structural forces responsible for the creation of particular patterns of rational landscapes are analysed. These were transformed dramatically during the last century as was the relative location and the functional significance of the location of the Kablo factory within the city and beyond. In the case of Kablo, the local government played a threefold role. First, it was the co-creator of a discourse where the locality was given a new identity and steps to redevelop the site legitimised. Second, its (non)action in both town planning and in listing the heritage buildings allowed the investor to demolish the buildings on the site, despite a lack of permission and a belated attempt on the part of the city to preserve some of the most historic structure, and to excuse its later actions. Thirdly, higher institutions at the regional level did not effectively apply sanctions for the demolition. One can argue that the redevelopment of the site was due to the obsolescence of the buildings on it, and the rise in value of the underlying property – in effect, the penetration of global capitalism into the local economy. However, the failure of local government to protect the site also reflects its relative inexperience with developers, divided public opinion on the value of preserving the fabric of the plant, and unequal relations between relatively sophisticated developers and a relatively young city government.