Re-mapping Zagreb's urban space : in search for gay residential core

Jakovčić, Martina (author), Mak, Karlo (author)

Areas with a higher concentration of queer population are a well-established feature of the spatial structure in major cities across the Global North. However, there is a conspicuous lack of research on queer population within post-socialist cities. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the possibility of a higher concentration of queer men population in the Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. Based on the analysis of various spatial datasets, we assumed the existence of a queer men’s residential core in Zagreb, described its position within the city’s spatial structure, and examined the spatial dynamics of its development. Our findings reveal that the urban geography of Zagreb is less heterosexual than is usually perceived. Additionally, we demonstrate how the global patterns of the queer community spatialization have adapted within the post-socialist context with all its local specificities that enabled the unique integration of queer man spaces into Zagreb’s post-socialist urban structure.

• Language: English
• Keywords: urban geography, urban quarters, queer residential core, Croatia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 99-119
• Numbering: [Št.] 61
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180353
• UDC: 911.375.64:316.723-055.3(497.5Zagreb)
• ISSN on article: 0354-0596
• DOI: 10.4312/dela.61.99-119
• COBISS.SI-ID: 224700163
• Publication date in RUL: 06.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Dela
• Publisher: Oddelek za geografijo Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, Oddelek za geografijo Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 0354-0596
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23805442

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Kartiranje zagrebškega urbanega prostora: v iskanju gejevskega rezidenčnega jedra

Abstract

Območja z večjo koncentracijo kvirovske skupnosti so uveljavljena značilnost prostorske strukture večjih mest na globalnem severu. Vendar pa obstaja pomanjkanje raziskav o kvirovski skupnosti v postsocialističnih mestih. Članek želi odpraviti omenjeno vrzel, saj raziskuje možnost večje koncentracije moške kvirovske populacije v hrvaški prestolnici Zagrebu. Na podlagi analize različnih zbirk prostorskih podatkov smo predpostavili obstoj rezidenčnega jedra kvirovskih moških v Zagrebu, opisali njegov položaj v prostorski strukturi mesta in preučili prostorsko dinamiko njegovega razvoja. Naše ugotovitve kažejo, da je urbana geografija Zagreba manj heteroseksualna, kot se zdi na prvi pogled. Poleg tega smo pokazali, kako so se globalni vzorci prostorske organizacije kvirovske skupnosti prilagodili postsocialističnemu kontekstu in njegovim lokalnim posebnostim, ki so omogočile edinstveno integracijo kvirovskih moških prostorov v postsocialistično urbano strukturo Zagreba.

• Keywords: urbana geografija, mestne četrti, kvirovsko stanovanjsko jedro, Hrvaška, Zagreb