Post-Socialist Churches and Parish Complexes in Modernist New Towns: Typologies of Spatial Integration in Zagreb

This paper examines the spatial integration of post-socialist churches and parish complexes within the modernist housing estates of Novi Zagreb. Constructed after 1990 in neighbourhoods originally planned without sacral programs, these buildings represent a specific form of post-socialist urban intervention. The study employs a qualitative, comparative approach, analysing five case studies through the parameters of urban context, volumetry, spatial composition, program, and public space interface. The analysis identifies a limited set of recurring typologies that define patterns of spatial integration within the existing urban fabric. The findings indicate that these complexes do not function as dominant urban elements, but instead adapt to the open, functionally organized structure of modernist planning. Their impact on public space remains limited, as they rarely generate new centres or clearly articulated urban nodes. At the same time, the results reveal a shift from singular religious buildings toward programmatically expanded parish complexes that incorporate social and community functions. However, this transformation remains largely internal and does not lead to a significant reconfiguration of the urban structure. The paper contributes to the understanding of post-socialist urban transformation by identifying typological patterns and interpreting religious architecture as a context-dependent urban actor.