Introduction

In this chapter, we consider the present situation of large housing estates. The chapter is based on data obtained from detailed studies of estates in the RESTATE project (see Chapter One), and the aim is to provide a clear overview of their characteristics. We therefore provide some basic data and present a systematic inventory of the current situation on these estates.

We show that, although in many respects the estates are very similar, there are some issues that are typical of only some estates in some cities and countries. It is not our intention to explain all these differences and similarities. We do believe, however, that the overview in this chapter may be helpful as a backdrop for understanding the more empirical chapters in this book, where some aspects of the estates have been investigated in more depth. At the same time, the overview gives an up-to-date account of the present situation in large housing estates throughout a large part of Europe.

In this chapter we have drawn on ten reports in the RESTATE series (Aalbers et al, 2003; Andersson et al, 2003; Černič Mali et al, 2003; Chignier-Riboulon et al, 2003; Erdösi et al, 2003; Hall et al, 2003; Knorr-Siedow and Droste, 2003; Mezzetti et al, 2003; Murie et al, 2003; Pareja Eastaway et al, 2003; Węcławowicz et al, 2003). Here we refer to the estates without too many references to avoid repetition. It should be clear, however, that most of the data in this chapter are taken from these reports. An overview of the estates in the RESTATE project can be found in the Appendix.

It is important to appreciate that the large housing estates in the RESTATE project (and in this chapter) may not be typical of all large housing estates in their respective countries. The presence of urban or housing policies was a prerequisite for the selection of the estates. This means that, in general, it was not the most thriving estates that were included in the project. The somewhat negative picture that emerges from this chapter is therefore no coincidence. Evidently, in most countries there are also more positive examples of large housing estates.