Defining suburbanization in Central and Eastern Europe: A systematic literature review

Amidst the political and economic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since 1989, suburbanization has emerged as a pivotal force in reshaping the urbanized landscape. This transformative process has spurred heightened interest among researchers, prompting a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary literature on suburbanization in CEE. So far, existing scientific research employed various methodologies to address the issues of suburbanization in CEE, highlighting the need for a systematization, eliminating terminological confusion and maintaining greater scientific precision. This study, employing the systematic review method and meta-analysis, meticulously examined 120 different articles to unravel the methodologies, linguistic nuances, and diverse definitions characterizing suburbanization in the region. The findings unveiled three dominant directions in defining suburbanization within CEE countries. Type A delineates suburbanization as the outflow of population from urban core to its periphery within an urban functional area. Conversely, Type B contends that the manifestation of suburbanization occurs with accelerated growth in suburbs relative to the urban core, emphasizing that the source direction of migration is not a determinative factor. The most intricate category, Type C, encapsulates Type B and introduces additional layers of internal suburbanization processes. This study lays a foundation for future research endeavours, underscoring the importance of precision in defining suburbanization and the explicit articulation of research procedures. As suburbanization continues to play a pivotal role in the evolution of urban landscapes in CEE, future studies are encouraged to delve into more nuanced analyses, offering a deeper understanding of this multifaceted phenomenon. • Suburbanization encompasses social, economic, environmental, and spatial dimensions. • It is a natural urbanization stage where outskirts grow faster than urban core. • Suburbanization's multidimensionality hinders comparative literature analysis. • In CEE, suburbanization is primarily associated with socio-economic geography. • Research on suburbanization in CEE is flourishing amid urbanization processes.