Sídlisko Stred

Sídlisko is a term used in Slovak () which mainly means housing complex (with civic amenities). Other terms associated with this term are housing estate, housing development, housing project, settlement, neighbourhood or borough. Although the term is a general term, it is mostly used for housing complexes built during the socialist era in the now split Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic & Slovakia) containing houses built of panel (), for which they're also known as "panelákové sídliská" (panel housing complexes).

Paneláks are the most common type of apartment buildings found in a typical sídlisko. Brick and modern apartment buildings can also be found, along with old and new houses, although they are usually not in the central part of a typical sídlisko, and are a minor part of the whole complex, if at all. Nowadays, individual paneláks in sídliskos are often checked and repaired if needed due to their age, while also being renovated, repainted from grey to vibrant colors, and generally gentrified, which is usually funded by the government, partially thanks to funds from the European Union (EU).

Sídliskos were built by the communist government of the former Czechoslovakia to provide fast and affordable housing for all people. During the Communist era, construction of large housing complexes was an important part of building plans in the country, as the government wanted to provide large quantities of affordable housing, as well as to slash costs by employing uniform designs over the whole country. They also sought to foster a "collectivistic nature" in its people.

Sídliskos are usually located in urban areas, as direct parts of cities, usually considered as its own sections. They are usually occupied by various different people and social classes, from working class (or lower) to upper middle class (or sometimes higher), creating a social mix,Czech sociologist Michal Illner from the Czech Academy of Sciences stated that when it comes to social classes in sídlištěs (sídliskos), it's usually a mix of working class and middle class, with middle class prevailing with a few exceptions, such as Luník IX, which is a Roma slum.

Sídliskos are owned and managed by the government, administrative divisions, housing cooperatives, authorities, self-governing (non-profit) organizations, owners of apartments (individual blocks), and/or through public–private partnerships and such, or a combination thereof. People living in sídliskos usually own their individual apartments, mainly due to the fact that majority of the individual apartments went from being publicly owned by the state to being privately owned, as they were sold to most apartment occupants by the government for small, symbolic prices after the fall of socialism. People can also rent apartments, usually through real estate agents and private landlords, Prices of the apartments vary depending on the individual apartment and its qualities. Majority of people living in cities live in sídliskos, mainly because of history, tradition, availability and affordability, as well as being in convenient urban areas or close and having good civic amenities,

See also

*Khrushchevka & Brezhnevka (former Soviet Union)
*Panelház (Hungary)
*Bloc (Romania)
* LPS (Germany)
*HLM (Sweden)
*Ugsarmal bair (Mongolia)
*Affordable housing
*Subsidized housing
*Public housing

References

{{Slovakia topics

Slovak words and phrases
Human settlement
Human habitats
Housing
House types