Urban development and migration processes in the urban region of Bratislava from the post-socialist transformation until the global economic crisis

This article contributes to understanding population migration in Central European urban regions and its connection with urban development. This topic has been addressed in other studies, focused mainly on large cities, particularly Prague, Budapest, and Warsaw. Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic, is a relatively small city at the core of one of the most economically developed regions in Central Europe. The region has experienced a transformation of migration trends, from those determined by socialist urbanization to trends resembling those observed in Western Europe. Similar to those of other major Central European cities, recent patterns of migration to and from Bratislava are characterized by a rising intensity of concentration and decentralization, but also reflect several unique historical circumstances. Furthermore, the results indicate that the global economic crisis that erupted in 2007 has eased the intensity of the observed processes, although it has not changed their nature. This effect is similar to that of the economic decline in the 1990s.