Ethnic Dimensions of Suburbanisation in Estonia

Large scale suburbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon in East Central Europe and responsible for major socio-spatial changes in metropolitan areas. Little is known about the ethnic dimensions of this process. However, large minority population groups, mainly ethnic Russians, remained into the former member states of the Soviet Union after its dissolution in 1991. We use individual level Estonia Census data in order to investigate the ethnic dimensions of suburbanisation. The results show that ethnic minorities have a considerably lower probability to suburbanise compared to the majority population, and minorities are less likely to move to rural municipalities – the main sites of suburban change – in the suburban ring of cities. Individual characteristics that measure strong ties with the majority population and host society exert a positive effect on ethnic minority suburbanization, and on settling in rural municipalities.suburbanisation, ethnicity, Census data, East Central Europe, Estonia

Types of spatial mobility and change in people’s ethnic residential contexts

This research received funding from the following sources: Institutional Research Grant No. IUT2-17 of the Ministry of Education and Science Estonia; Grant No. 9247 of the Estonian Science Foundation; the European Research Council under the EU FP7 Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 615159 (ERC Consolidator Grant DEPRIVEDHOODS, Socio-spatial inequality, deprived neighbourhoods, and neighbourhood effects), the Marie Curie programme under the EU FP7 Programme (FP/2007-2013) / Career Integration Grant n. PCIG10-GA-2011-303728 (CIG Grant NBHCHOICE, Neighbourhood choice, neighbourhood sorting, and neighbourhood effects).Background : Most studies of the ethnic composition of destination neighbourhoods after residential moves do not take into account the types of moves people have made. However, from an individual perspective, different types of moves may result in neighbourhood environments which differ in terms of their ethnic composition from those in which the individuals previously lived. Objective : We investigate how the ethnic residential context changes for individuals as a result of different types of mobility (immobility, intra-urban mobility, suburbanisation, and long-distance migration) for residents of the segregated post-Soviet city of Tallinn. We compare the extent to which Estonian and Russian speakers integrate in residential terms. Methods : Using unique longitudinal Census data (2000-2011) we tracked changes in the individual ethnic residential context of both groups. Results : We found that the moving destinations of Estonian and Russian speakers diverge. When Estonians move, their new neighbourhood generally possesses a lower percentage of Russian speakers compared with when Russian speakers move, as well as compared with their previous neighbourhoods. For Russian speakers, the percentage of other Russian speakers in their residential surroundings decreases only for those who move to the rural suburbs or who move over longer distances to rural villages. Contribution : By applying a novel approach of tracking the changes in the ethnic residential context of individuals for all mobility types, we were able to demonstrate that the two largest ethnolinguistic groups in Estonia tend to behave as ‘parallel populations’ and that residential integration remains slow.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The neighbourhood context and changes in self-reported ethnic identity

This work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Program (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 615159 (ERC Consolidator Grant DEPRIVEDHOODS, Socio-spatial inequality, deprived neighbourhoods, and neighbourhood effects) and the Institutional Research Grant No. IUT2-17 of the Ministry of Education and Science Estonia.Although many studies claim that the residential context is an important factor in shaping the ethnic identity of minorities, there are few studies which actually measure this relationship. This study contributes to filling this gap by investigating the relationship between the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods and changes in the self-reported ethnic identity of Russian-speaking minorities living in post-Soviet Estonia. Additionally, we observe Estonians who have changed their ethnic identity to Russian. We used data from the 2000 and 2011 Estonian censuses, which were geo-coded and linked at the individual level, enabling us to follow individuals over time. We estimated multi-level and fixed effects regression models to explore the relationship between the neighbourhood context and changes in ethnic identity. The main results show that ethnic minorities who live in majority-dominated neighbourhoods and regions, are the most likely to change their ethnic identity. We also show that members of the majority population who live in minority-dense neighbourhoods are more likely to change their ethnic identity than other majority group members. The results suggest that opportunities to meet people from other ethnic groups are important in processes of integration and assimilation, and it affects members of the majority and minority population alike.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The unfinished project for the socialist city and the legacy of its multiple ecologies

The transformation of socialist cities during the lengthy 20th century was closely integrated with the overall economic activities of the state and operated within a system where the means of production were nationalised and central governments were responsible for decision-making, be it spatial arrangement of the economy and political or military objectives of the country. At the same time, the transformation of cities during this period ideologically attempted to promote egalitarian society where access to assets and amenities, and allocation of commodities was consistent and equal to all. Somewhat surprisingly, as the topic has been relatively less discussed in previous literature, urban planning during the socialist era uncovers arguments for sustainable development. Yet, notions of priority during socialism also existed and this indicates some major constraints and dysfunctions in the transformation of cities under the centrally planned system of state socialism. This overview of the book “planning during socialism: views from the periphery” (2024 Routledge) offers some fresh support points to unpack the unfinished research challenges of studies of urban space of socialist cities through transversalities of political, economic and social phenomena that contribute to diverse spatial configurations.<br/

Planning post-summurbia :from spontaneous pragmatism to collaborative planning?

The possibilities to apply collaborative planning frameworks in formerly strictly planned areas that have experienced spontaneous transformations since the demise of the Soviet Union are examined in this paper. The enquiry is based on a case study of the Tartu region in Estonia, former socialist summerhouse settlements ('summurbia'), which are experiencing a transition towards permanent residence resulting in a new year-round form of suburbia. Both the residents and local planning authorities were interviewed in order to understand the prevailing planning and building activities, as well as the social relations between these stakeholders. The collaborative planning process is then elaborated by exploring the social dynamics and learned practices of the local residents.364