“Artificial Towns”

tial function and a fall in population in these parts of towns.
Social polarisation, an increase in differences between individual
classes of urban society is becoming more intensive. This can be
seen in the creation of residential areas with luxury housing (e.g.
gated communities), as well as areas of towns where socially vulnerable
people are concentrated (a typical example is Luník IX.
in Košice).
The development of towns was more and more influenced by
the intensification of the processes of suburbanisation and deurbanisation,
which are moreover very selective socially and spatially,
and from which only certain categories of population and
rural settlements profit. (Gajdoš–Moravanská, 2011) In the conditions
present in Slovakia, where the suburbanisation process was
delayed by blocking its natural development during the socialist
period, we can talk about several stages in this process which differ
both socially and spatially, and in terms of their consequences.
In the first stage, this concerned mainly the rich inhabitants of
larger towns, who left for the nearby rural hinterland of the town;
in terms of space, this process was concentrated mainly in the surroundings
of Bratislava, and partially of Košice. In the second
stage, the majority of towns in Slovakia took part in this process
(isochronic in terms of time or distance), and even the size of the
rural area affected by the process of suburbanisation was much
larger. Mainly young people and young families, together with
people with a higher socio-economic status left towns for suburban
locations in Slovakia. Today, we can note a further shift in the
development of housing preferences, particularly among the highest
social classes. Satellite towns have been gradually left behind
by the rich population who have moved to areas of town with
high-quality villa housing or family residences in attractive locations
in the town. Social prestige purveyed by a “good address” is
increasing in importance. It appears that the large wave of suburbanisation
is beginning to calm down in Slovakia, mainly around
larger towns, and the influence of re-urbanisation is beginning to
show. This is also influenced by changes in the centres of towns,
which are being physically and functionally revived by processes of
commercialisation, as well as by the creation of specific areas in
inner towns, revitalised by the process of gentrification. However,
this concerns only a certain number of towns in Slovakia and a
small number of town areas (Gajdoš, 2013)
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Peter Gajdoš