Housing Inequality in Sofia, Bulgaria

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SES-0004457John LoganElena VesselinovaSUNY AlbanyThis Doctoral Dissertation Improvement project examines spatial segregation in a post-socialist city. The study will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, which provides the opportunity to examine the issue within the contemporary process of transition towards a market economy and its related increasing social differentiation. The investigators' prior research shows that Sofia resembles other former socialist capital cities in that there is a widening gap in urban inequality. The PIs hypothesize that the economic and political changes that have occurred since 1989, together with the regional processes in Europe, are shaping an urban environment of sharper social polarization. This research will contribute to the literature on post-socialist cities in transition and allow us to better understand (1) how people make decisions about housing in a capitalist system as opposed to a communist one; and (2) how residential and mobility patterns correspond to household family structure, employment structure, education, ethnic background and income in a post-socialist system.