Residential satisfaction with general characteristics of socialist and post-socialist housing estates in Croatia and Slovenia

This study compares housing quality and residential satisfaction between socialist (old) and post-socialist (new) large housing estates (LHEs) in Croatia and Slovenia. A survey conducted in 2022 included a total sample of 2,193 participants. Residential satisfaction was assessed based on general characteristics of the estate, including construction density, safety, green spaces, children’s playgrounds, transport connections with other parts of the city, and traffic density. In general, residents were satisfied with their built environment in housing estates, irrespective of country or estate type. However, residents in both types of housing estates in Slovenia reported generally higher levels of satisfaction than those in Croatia. Additionally, despite their age, socialist-era LHEs were not rated worse overall than post-socialist housing estates. The basic urban principles of contemporary cities — sustainability, safety, inclusivity, greenness, and resilience — are more closely aligned with the design and planning practices of old LHEs than with the market-oriented urbanism of the post-socialist period. As a result, new housing estates in the two countries, particularly in Croatia, contribute less to everyday placemaking at the neighbourhood level. However, this can be improved by aligning future development more closely with contemporary urban principles.