Questioning post-socialism in urban studies? Don't shoot ourselves in the foot

Abstract

This Commentary discusses the concepts of post-socialism and the post-socialist city in urban studies and human geography, examining their analytical and normative potential for understanding societal and spatial transformations in former socialist countries. While acknowledging critiques concerning conceptual ambiguity, regional stereotyping, and asymmetries in global knowledge production, the paper argues for the continued and reflexive use of these concepts. It highlights how post-socialism has been understood as an ongoing and mutually constitutive process of institutional, social, and spatial change. The Commentary underscores how post-socialist urban research has contributed both context-sensitive insights and broader theoretical value. Ultimately, it positions the concepts of post-socialism and the post-socialist city as tools for tracing path dependencies, addressing normative challenges, and enriching global comparative urbanism. Importantly, these concepts are presented as a shared anchor that enables the monitoring and evaluation of transformation processes, supports policy development, and facilitates the communication of the distinctive experiences of radical societal and urban change to a broader academic and policy audience.