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Introduction
Unsettled, Urban Populations
Emerging Urban Issues
• Widespread Urban Poverty and Economic Collapse
• Urban Areas in Need of Repair
• Poor State of the Environment
• Urban Health Trends
• Urban Crime: Human Trafficking
• Natural and Man-Made Disaster
Urban Fact Sheets: Eastern Europe & Eurasia
Introduction
The Balkan Region is experiencing transition from both the dissolution of the Republic of Yugoslavia and recent, violent ethnic civil wars. Continuing ethnic tensions and territory disputes hamper the peace process and efforts at recovery, both economic and environmental. The region has hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees and severely destroyed urban infrastructure and facilities. These urban areas are growing in population, while urban services and living conditions continue to decline.
The Kosovo region and Bosnia and Herzegovina
(B/H) are suffering the highest levels of destruction, loss of property and life, and trauma due to the conflicts that took place in their regions. Their slow-going recovery progress is hampered by lack of reforms, capital and general cohesion within the government and the general population. The countries have experienced highly distorted shifts in populations and unmanageable levels of internally displaced persons and refugees, which are in great need of official recognition and assistance with housing and social services.
Unsettled, Urban Populations
Urban population patterns in the region are varied. Each country features different trends, but the primary cause of variation is the post-conflict changes that affect urban populations, both permanent and transient.
Traditionally, populations in Croatia settled around large industrial centers that provide for all the needs of urban dwellers. Cities like Split, Solin and Trogir have undergone rapid urbanization, as some of their populations have tripled in the past 20 years.1 However over the past decade, medium-sized centers are growing more rapidly than these larger urban areas.
Urban population movements in Kosovo are skewed and unclear due to the recent conflict, which involved the rapid movements of ethnic Albanians and caused the emergence of thousands of IDPs and refugees. The IDPs who were not fully expelled from the area began residing in makeshift and temporary shelters as their homes in Kosovo were destroyed.2 Those populations that were fully expelled from the area are slowly returning to the urban areas, but typically they have no homes to which they can return.
B/H has the highest levels of dislocated populations, refugees, IDPs, and populations living with disabilities due to the war. Migration into the cities is fueled by the search for personal safety. One example of explosive urban growth is the population of Tuzla, which has increased by 50 percent over the last few years.3
Part of Albania1s urban population consists of illegal squatters who have quickly constructed makeshift shelters in urban spaces. These areas are typically filled with unregistered migrants and IDPs. Unregistered persons and IDPs have no access to city utilities, support services or education for children. Between 1993 and 1997, the population of Tirana doubled, and before 1996, all these immigrants were considered illegal and have been refused social services.4
Emerging Urban Issues
Widespread Urban Poverty and Economic Collapse
The economic situation for the region can be characterized as depressed and in some areas, devastated. While Croatia and Albania struggle with fiscal decentralization and market transitions, the economies of B/H and Kosovo are paralyzed due to the damages suffered through conflict and war.
Currently, the economy of Croatia is supported through exporting transportation equipment, textiles and foodstuffs and produces a wide range of agricultural products. However, resistance to governmental reform backed by the general public and political coalitions prevent the government from implementing economic reform that can could help ease the high unemployment rate of 22 percent and increase the GDP for the country.
B/H was known as the poorest of the Yugoslav republics and previous to the war in 1991, employment in the defense and military sector was very high. After the closure or destruction of industries and military operations in the country, the unemployment rate in B/H grew to an estimated 35-40 percent. As a result, the urban poverty rate grew to 40 percent.5
Albania is also experiencing a difficult transition to a market economy and suffers from the effects of widespread corruption and organized crime. The country suffered a severe depression after the end of the communist regime and recovery from civil unrest, which destroyed vast amounts of property. Its economic downturn was reflected by a 7 percent decline in GDP and a rise in unemployment to 16 percent. Fifteen percent of Albania1s urban population lives in poverty.6 Albania1s potential for economic and social stability suffers due its own lack of internal reforms, failure to stop corruption and its disruptive political battles.
Urban Areas in Need of Repair
Various elements of urban infrastructure in the sub-region are in poor condition. Each country in the sub-region is plagued with deteriorating facilities and insufficient equipment.
In rapidly growing cities, such as Solin and Split of Croatia, local municipalities constructed mass apartment housing blocks to accommodate growth. Water systems were expanded only in increments, causing inconsistency in the network1s equipment and functional status. The pace of the development of urban wastewater systems has not been able to keep up with population growth. In Split, 90 percent of the population has sewage service while in Kastela and Trogir only 35-40 percent of the population is connected to a sanitary sewage system.7 Cities have been trying to address the problems by modernizing small amounts of equipment, creating new reservoirs, pumping stations and treatment plants in cities like Zagreb, but the pace is highly dependent on investment capital available.
B/H lacks sufficient official urban waste dumpsites and collection services. Only 50 percent of the cities in B/H have waste collection services, thus residential and business waste is being dumped on roadsides, in rivers and in public urban areas.8 Water shortages are also common, as water resources are highly rationed, which causes physical stress on already partially destroyed utility equipment. Only one-third of the urban population has access to safe drinking water, which has resulted in a sharp increase of diseases such as Hepatitis-A in the most densely populated areas.9
The urban water infrastructure in Albania is in disrepair. Albania is plagued with old pipes and infrastructure that can only function at a fraction of their actual capacity. Water is provided to urban population only two or three times a day and when the resources are shut off, wastewater from nearby leaking pipes infiltrates the drinking water supplies. In Tirana alone there are an estimated 500 points where this cross contamination takes place.10
Poor State of the Environment
The environment in the Balkan Region has been severely damaged by historic mismanagement and the effects of war. Urban municipalities are in need of policy reform and implementation as well as recovery and repair from damage already done.
Croatia and B/H have high air pollution levels attributed to metallurgic contaminants. These pollutants, which cause acid rains, poison agricultural and forestry resources and contaminate surface-level water supplies.11 Croatia has high levels of coastal pollution caused by both the dumping of industrial waste and urban wastewater being pumped directly into the sea. Air pollution in the sub-region is highly attributed to the increased numbers of older automobiles in use in the densely populated urban areas.
The state of the environment in Kosovo is difficult to determine due to the lack of facilities, equipment and networks that would typically monitor air, soil and water pollution. It is generally assumed that coal mining plants in Kosovo are the greatest contributor to air pollution and 100 percent of Kosovo1s coal production capacity is located in Pristina. It should be noted, however, that air pollution in Kosovo may now be somewhat reduced due the closure of many factories and plants.
Urban Health Trends
Urban health concerns in the region are primarily communicable diseases and water-borne illnesses, typical of densely populated urban areas that have little access to sanitary water supplies. Infective diseases such as tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, especially in Albania, due to the lack of safe and sanitary infrastructure and the lack of functional medical facilities. Many of the heath facilities in the region are only available to certain ethnic populations and the remainder were burned and destroyed in the war. One result of this situation was a decline in immunizations among ethnic Albanians leading to high incidences of polio and measles.12
Urban Crime: Human Trafficking
Urban crimes rates are low because the presence of military personnel has lowered the incidences of ordinary crime. However, crimes related to ethnic tension continue to occur and often result in violence in the urban areas. The trafficking of women for forced prostitution in the Balkan region is a very serious problem. Every year, 200,000 women are trafficked through the Balkans from Central and Eastern Europe. The women are mostly bound for Western Europe, but many end up being kept in the Balkan region, especially in Kosovo, Albania and B/H. It is estimated that 5,000 women in transit are in B/H at any given time and are sold at a market in Brcko, a city with over 100 clubs where women are showcased and are forced into prostitution.13 In addition to women, significant levels of illicit drugs, like cannabis, opium and cocaine, are transported through the region on some of the same paths but originating from Southeast Asia and destined for Western Europe.
Natural and Man-Made Disaster
The region experiences devastating earthquakes, which directly affect the already unstable living conditions and facilities in the urban areas. These disasters cause even further damage to the old and failing infrastructure in the urban areas. In addition to earthquakes, Albania experiences tsunamis and drought, which worsen the country1s ability to recover economically.
Active landmines in the region pose a current and daily threat to millions of people. In B/H, it is estimated that up to three million remain buried. These landmines as well as the many in Croatia still pose a threat to the populations.14
Role for USAID Assistance
Economic Growth. Assistance with market transitions and privatization will increase industrial productivity and improve the business climate in the region. As perceived risk is reduced, foreign investment in and around urban areas will begin to play an important role in economic recovery.
Urban Infrastructure Services. Assistance with and aid to reconstruct and replace the basic urban utilities structures will bring about immediate results for urban dwellers. Provision of safe water and sanitation will help to reduce acute poverty, illness and aid the social and economic recovery process. Housing development and services for IDPs and refugees will alleviate temporary housing situations and provide better living conditions for these populations, allowing them to re-integrate into society.
Urban Environmental Reform. Technical assistance directed to reduce metallurgic pollutants will improve air quality and preserve valuable water resources. Policy reform will enable the region to hold up environmental standards related to the Adriatic Sea.
Health. Reconstruction of primary health care facilities will provide the opportunity for the treatment, and possible prevention of disease and illnesses. Providing training in health education and immunizations will play a large part of disease prevention.
Democracy and governance. Assistance should be targeted at training local law enforcement teams and justice officials about modern mechanism needed to reduce human trafficking. Training communities how to build democratic institutions should include development of NGOs that support marginalized populations and those seeking anti-corruption efforts.
Disaster mitigation. City planning endeavors should incorporate disaster prevention and planning to lower the human and economic losses of future natural disasters. In addition, aid and technical assistance needs to be provided to help remove landmines from the region.
1 www.worldbank.org - "Croatia: Municipal Environmental Infrastructure Project, 1998.
2 www.reliefweb.int/hcic/updates
3 www.worldbank.org - "Priorities for Recovery and Growth", Press Release
4 UNICEF Situation Analysis Country Overview, Albania, 1998
5 CIA Factbook, Bosnia Herzegovina, 2002
6 CIA Factbook, Albania, 2002
7 www.worldbank.org - "Croatia: Municipal Environmental Infrastructure Project, 1998.
8 www.grida.no - " Environment in BIH 2002"
9 www.undp.ba/osc.asp = " National Human Development Report for Bosnia Herzegovina, 2002
10 UNICEF Situation Analysis Country Overview, Albania, 1998
11 CIA Factbook, Bosnia Herzegovina, 2002
12 www.who.int - " Vigilance needed as first epidemic-prone diseases registered in Kosovo"
13 www.msnbc.com - "Sex Slaves: Europe1s Trade in Drugs, Guns and Women", 2002
14 www.cdi.org/issues - " Landmine Hazards in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia"
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