‘My Sweet Little Village’: Central Settlement System in Socialist Central Bohemia

The paper examines the ‘Central Settlement System’ (Středisková soustava osídlení) policy implemented in socialist Czechoslovakia from 1971 to 1993. Its purpose was to allocate investments in construction, services, and production within a hierarchically organized settlement system. In academic discourse, it is often criticized, especially for its impact on small settlements. However, a comprehensive assessment of its effects is lacking, particularly owing to the absence of digitalized spatial data. Hence, the aim of this study is twofold. First, we aim to digitalize the settlement’s affiliation to the categories of the System using archival materials. Second, we investigate selected aspect of policy’s impact on the development of the settlement system. This article examines the Central Bohemia Region, highlighting the conflicts between the System and development of the Prague metropolitan area. The main output is a map showing the categorization of settlements within the Central Bohemian Region, available as a public dataset.