Housing in the Soviet Union

[The Man]

During the Lenin/Stalin era, as well as Hoxhaist Albania, how was housing determined? And how were the quality of the homes?

[Die Neue Zeit]

Only during the Khrushchev era was there any comprehensive housing program based on industrial prefabrication. Housing conditions under Stalin were terrible.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Only during the Khrushchev era was there any comprehensive housing program based on industrial prefabrication. Housing conditions under Stalin were terrible.

Indeed. Housing was built during Stalin with little if any amenities and with dreadful standard and small size; housing was even divided with larger flats going to officials and people in good standing and the majority seeing little improvement from the pre-revolutionary years.

It was definately one of the things that Khrushchev did well, even Brezhnev oversaw a massive housing stock expansion with new higher quality prefabricated blocks with more spacious flats from the early 70's onwards, and it was planned that all the old 50's blocks were to be replaced by newer higher quality composite blocks (KOPE) if things went according to plan, by the early 2000's and some progress was being made by the time of the fall.

There were some housing programs organised by mass-movements in the 70's and 80's (it was called something along the lines of Mass Youth Housing) and was a successful program in providing quality housing to young families and people and was remarkably popular and a good example of successful mass-organising, and one of few such projects that had a sincere popular appeal in the late Soviet Union.

[Imposter Marxist]

Yeah, but Khruschev also had those housing "hives" that were hideous. You know, those apartment complex things? God those looked terrible, from the outside at least.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Yeah, but Khruschev also had those housing "hives" that were hideous. You know, those apartment complex things? God those looked terrible, from the outside at least.

What are you talking about? The Khruschev-era housing blocks are generally referred to as "Khruschevkas"; they are 3-5 stories tall; and although compared to later additions they are inferior and much of the stock today is in terrible state of disrepair and decay, they were a remarkable improvement compared to that which was before them (although the Stalin era did stress elaborate and luxurious façades even for cheap and sub-standard housing), more spacious, access to running water and proper heating; many of the Stalin-era housing did not even have lavatories.

[Sir Comradical]

Yeah, but Khruschev also had those housing "hives" that were hideous. You know, those apartment complex things? God those looked terrible, from the outside at least.

An elder relative of mine went to the USSR in '72 and thought he had arrived in the richest country on earth. When you come from humble origins in a third-world country the very idea that housing is affordable and well maintained is enough to amaze you.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Yeah, but Khruschev also had those housing "hives" that were hideous. You know, those apartment complex things? God those looked terrible, from the outside at least.


What are you talking about? The Khruschev-era housing blocks are generally referred to as "Khruschevkas"; they are 3-5 stories tall; and although compared to later additions they are inferior and much of the stock today is in terrible state of disrepair and decay, they were a remarkable improvement compared to that which was before them (although the Stalin era did stress elaborate and luxurious façades even for cheap and sub-standard housing), more spacious, access to running water and proper heating; many of the Stalin-era housing did not even have lavatories.

I should point out that the housing program undertaken by Khrushchev might not have been the best housing policy option available. One aspect of transitioning away from Socialist Primitive Accumulation (Stalin-era economic policies), shifting towards "consumer goods" in general, was prioritized above the housing problem such that the latter was pursued later than it should have been.

This was something shared by the buffoons Khrushchev and Malenkov (before him), perhaps as opposed to the policy prioritization of, say, Kaganovich:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/khrushchev-thaw-kaganovichs-t152859/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/bukharin-and-original-t155557/index.html?p=2129393

[thesadmafioso]

I believe that housing was determined based upon factors such as the work one was involved in and its relative significance. If you preformed well enough at your work, in some fields, you could be given access to improved housing. Not exactly 'from each according to his ability, from each according to his means' but in the context of developing socialism it was something to be expected as a provisional measure.

[Ismail]

Sheila Fitzpatrick's book Everyday Stalinism discusses housing conditions. As others have said, they were quite bad. As the Webbs pointed out in their 1936 book Soviet Communism, housing conditions were poor, but at the same time what housing workers were given was still a step up from what they had before. Not much of a step, but still a step.

As for Albania, the local People's Councils were in charge of housing allocations and houses were owned by the state. Housing conditions were alright in the cities. As was the case with pretty much any other state which had centrally planned housing, there was not enough houses to exactly keep up with the amount of families, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the 1920's-30's USSR. "In the 1980s, roughly three-fourths of Albania's housing units had a water supply, two-thirds had a bath or shower, under half had central heating, and more than half had toilet facilities. The total housing stock in 1991 numbered 756000." (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations: Europe, p. 11.) This was for a population of around 3,335,044 as of July 1991. (CIA World Factbook, 1991.)

See also: http://countrystudies.us/albania/61.htm

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Sheila Fitzpatrick's book Everyday Stalinism discusses housing conditions. As others have said, they were quite bad. As the Webbs pointed out in their 1936 book Soviet Communism, housing conditions were poor, but at the same time what housing workers were given was still a step up from what they had before. Not much of a step, but still a step.

As for Albania, the local People's Councils were in charge of housing allocations and houses were owned by the state. Housing conditions were alright in the cities. As was the case with pretty much any other state which had centrally planned housing, there was not enough houses to exactly keep up with the amount of families, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the 1920's-30's USSR. "In the 1980s, roughly three-fourths of Albania's housing units had a water supply, two-thirds had a bath or shower, under half had central heating, and more than half had toilet facilities. The total housing stock in 1991 numbered 756000." (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations: Europe, p. 11.) This was for a population of around 3,335,044 as of July 1991. (CIA World Factbook, 1991.)

See also: http://countrystudies.us/albania/61.htm

It is worth noting that there were small-scale attempts at mass-housing programs in Albania as well in the 60's in a vein similar to Khrushchev-era Soviet Union, with the typical microdistrict planning (i.e. flat blocks and services provided within a maximum distance of 1km/500m), but for some reason this type of renewal was never very extensive, possibly due to lack of resources.


Cuba, ironically, did not follow the Soviet housing model and only to a limited extent provided new flats for the population (most during the very early 60's, built with Soviet aid), and a lot of the housing stock today is in a dreadful state of decay, because while the state does not seem to much renovate the housing, which has remained in a semi-private state of ownership, it also has prevented residents from self-renovating.

North Korea is more successful (that is to say, in terms of housing quality), with there even to this day being a fair amount (for such an impoverished and troubled country) of new housing being built (the 2010-2012 100,000 new Pyongyang flats campaign, etc), although the modern housing is unfortunately something that has not been much exported to the countryside since the 1950's, almost exclusively it has been built in the major cities.

China never had extensive public housing programs whatsoever, instead preferring to leave a lot of dilapidated improvised housing in large areas - even to this day the countryside is littered with substandard housing - ironically capitalist Hong Kong (not to imply China is not capitalist, but to further stress the absurdity of China's claim to socialism) has had a fairly progressive housing policy, with more than 50% of flats being fairly high-quality rent-controlled public housing, ironic because the situation in mainland China is quite bad - most new flats these days are privately owned and a vile amount are in gated communities, and many of them serve little purpose apart from being objects of speculative purchases while astounding amounts of people have no decent home at all and rarely afford any of the newly produced things. The Mao-era saw even less housing construction than the early Deng-era, even--

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Cuba's housing system is awful^^

People still have to purchase the houses from the state. The state effectively acts as a mediator. One guy showed me his house, which was pretty poor even compared to other Cuban houses, and wasn't in a sought after area (ie can't have been at the higher end), and said even for that, he had to save for 10 years.:rolleyes:

[Dogs On Acid]

Cuba, ironically, did not follow the Soviet housing model and only to a limited extent provided new flats for the population (most during the very early 60's, built with Soviet aid), and a lot of the housing stock today is in a dreadful state of decay, because while the state does not seem to much renovate the housing, which has remained in a semi-private state of ownership, it also has prevented residents from self-renovating.

I heard it's legal to build and renovate your own house now in Cuba since 2010.

Source: http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/152868/gobierno-de-castro-otorga-a-cubanos-permiso-para-construir-viviendas-por-esfuerzo-propio/

[RadioRaheem84]

Why weren't Cubans allowed to renovate their homes?

[Dogs On Acid]

Why weren't Cubans allowed to renovate their homes?

Because there is a shortage of materials so Cubans scavenge from abandoned buildings and may partake in risky workarounds like add more sand to cement mixture.

[Fulanito de Tal]

Because there is a shortage of materials so Cubans scavenge from abandoned buildings and may partake in risky workarounds like add more sand to cement mixture.

So they are not allowed to because of the government or the lack of materials?

My dad told me that a while back Cuban places of work were given the materials to build apartment type buildings if the workers built the locations. Many were built and you can easily identify one because all of them have the same design.

This is what they look like:
http://www.everyculture.com/images/ctc_01_img0296.jpg

There are many of them. The people that lived there were the ones that worked at that place that built them rent free.

My cousin lives in Cuba. He used to live in an old apartment that fell apart. They gave him a new place. His roommate, who is an elderly person (El Cubano), was going to be sent to an elderly asylum. My cousin told the agency that El Cubano could live with him and that he would take care of him if he needs anything. The new place that they both live in is twice the apartment I live in now with a neighborhood and overwhelming love that would not compare to anything I have seen in the US. When I walk up, everyone is hanging out and enjoying the day. If someone happens to show up with some rum, the entire block will turn into a party. You can walk into anyone's place and even go in the fridge (of course, only if they know you). And if after that party you were to pass out on the street, someone will pick you up and put you to bed (this I would bet my life on).

http://www.cubasol-manch.org.uk/ninguno4.gif
"200 million children in the world sleep on the street. None are Cuban!"
This is not only because of government intervention, but because no one will be able to sleep if they see a kid sleeping outside. My cousin, El Cubano, and everyone on his block would give their bed to a kid sleeping on the street.

[Dogs On Acid]

So they are not allowed to because of the government or the lack of materials?

Since 2010 they are allowed. Prior to that it was banned by the government due to risky construction workarounds caused by the lack of materials, especially cement powder (so Cubans would mix more sand than recommended and of course cause potential hazards).


My cousin lives in Cuba. He used to live in an old apartment that fell apart. They gave him a new place. His roommate, who is an elderly person (El Cubano), was going to be sent to an elderly asylum. My cousin told the agency that El Cubano could live with him and that he would take care of him if he needs anything. The new place that they both live in is twice the apartment I live in now with a neighborhood and overwhelming love that would not compare to anything I have seen in the US. When I walk up, everyone is hanging out and enjoying the day. If someone happens to show up with some rum, the entire block will turn into a party. You can walk into anyone's place and even go in the fridge (of course, only if they know you). And if after that party you were to pass out on the street, someone will pick you up and put you to bed (this I would bet my life on).

http://www.cubasol-manch.org.uk/ninguno4.gif
"200 million children in the world sleep on the street. None are Cuban!"
This is not only because of government intervention, but because no one will be able to sleep if they see a kid sleeping outside. My cousin, El Cubano, and everyone on his block would give their bed to a kid sleeping on the street.

I wish the whole world had this mentality... It would be such a better place.

One day it will comrades! :star2:

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

So they are not allowed to because of the government or the lack of materials?

My dad told me that a while back Cuban places of work were given the materials to build apartment type buildings if the workers built the locations. Many were built and you can easily identify one because all of them have the same design.

This is what they look like:
http://www.everyculture.com/images/ctc_01_img0296.jpg

There are many of them. The people that lived there were the ones that worked at that place that built them rent free.


They are not all that common, actually; a number exists in the cities, but those blocks are very old, and a lot of them are in a very sad state of affairs, although there has been some recent attempts at renovating some of the stock. The largest of those housing districts is the La Habana del Este district, which consist of such blocks built with Soviet assistance in the 60's - they are essentially localised adaptations of the Khruschevkas, as well as scattered taller tower blocks around the larger cities, mostly in formations of two or three, sometimes coupled with smaller 11-12 story blocks.

Most notable is that there are relatively few of them, and that up until quite recently, little was done to maintain them - a primarily political problem.

Another thing of interest that illustrates a problem that applies to varying regional degrees in terms of both Cuba and the Soviet Union - of the situation in North Korea I do not know, but I do think the Chinese applied this same model to some extent - is that it becomes the responsibility of the enterprises hiring the workers, or the union (in the Soviet sense, where the unions were holiday organisers and providers of services rather than negotiating mediators), which gives a quite fragmented system; although often the city- or village management would also be responsible for housing construction and provision in addition to this.

I do however think that giving the various enterprises the responsibility of housing provision is a bad one; it can result in trouble with coherent urban planning, although the Soviet Union did had very strict urban planning regulations of a decent nature, ironically particularly toward the end, where the Brezhnev-and subsequent governments tried their best to not seem hollow in their promises of socialist construction; and it can potential result in segregated communities; it can also result in housing quality of a varying quality depending on employment, which I think is undesirable. This system of enterprises providing housing is similar to a state-managed capitalist model; i.e. Japan in the 60's and 70's often had major enterprises be the provider of cost-less flats for their workers.

[RED DAVE]

I believe that housing was determined based upon factors such as the work one was involved in and its relative significance. If you preformed well enough at your work, in some fields, you could be given access to improved housing. Not exactly 'from each according to his ability, from each according to his means' but in the context of developing socialism it was something to be expected as a provisional measure.You've got to be kidding.

RED DAVE

[Jose Gracchus]

I do however think that giving the various enterprises the responsibility of housing provision is a bad one; it can result in trouble with coherent urban planning, although the Soviet Union did had very strict urban planning regulations of a decent nature, ironically particularly toward the end, where the Brezhnev-and subsequent governments tried their best to not seem hollow in their promises of socialist construction; and it can potential result in segregated communities; it can also result in housing quality of a varying quality depending on employment, which I think is undesirable. This system of enterprises providing housing is similar to a state-managed capitalist model; i.e. Japan in the 60's and 70's often had major enterprises be the provider of cost-less flats for their workers.

It does amaze me people can say these like this with a straight face and not connect the dots.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

It does amaze me people can say these like this with a straight face and not connect the dots.

I knew that was coming. There are indeed parallels, but also nuances and differences, and I do not want to encourage this dreadful sectarian debate.

[Jose Gracchus]

It necessarily implies the workers are an accessory of a production alien to them. I suppose that might be 'sectarian' and 'dreadful' for some, but not a purported Marxist.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

It necessarily implies the workers are an accessory of a production alien to them. I suppose that might be 'sectarian' and 'dreadful' for some, but not a purported Marxist.

There are always threads about the state-capitalist/etc debate, it doesn't have to be everywhere.

[Fulanito de Tal]

They are not all that common, actually; a number exists in the cities, but those blocks are very old, and a lot of them are in a very sad state of affairs, although there has been some recent attempts at renovating some of the stock. The largest of those housing districts is the La Habana del Este district, which consist of such blocks built with Soviet assistance in the 60's - they are essentially localised adaptations of the Khruschevkas, as well as scattered taller tower blocks around the larger cities, mostly in formations of two or three, sometimes coupled with smaller 11-12 story blocks.

From what I heard, these buildings were built in the 70's. By "they are not all that common," that depends on your personal definition of "all that common." They are not the most common building structure if you go to La Habana Vieja, nor if you go to the country side. But I have seen neighborhoods with those buildings that resemble military bases in the US because of the overwhelming presence of the same building. My sister lived in one these between 1991 and 1996 (the hard times of the special period). I visited her several times and I would rather live in one of those than where I live now. They are made of concrete, as opposed to the wooden piece of shit I live in now. This is important when hurricanes come though. They have patios, and my apartment does not. Also, they were built considering that AC will not be used, so the breeze blows through them if the windows and doors are open. That does not happen in my apartment either. The last time I visited one of these buildings was last month. The building seemed fine. But, the most important idea in my message was the people. Buildings, if not being used, are just empty arrangements of concrete, wood, and other building materials (of which we have a lot in the US). What makes them part of a neighborhood is when people live in them. The neighborhoods in Cuba, whether they include these buildings or other buildings, are neighborhoods. I don't know what the similar unit would be in the US, but it's not a neighborhood. And to me, that's more important than the color of a building or what someone in the first world has to say about the condition of the buildings in Cuba. Cuba does what it can with what it has.

Banana wine, even if it turns out bitter, is our wine. -Jose Marti

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

From what I heard, these buildings were built in the 70's. By "they are not all that common," that depends on your personal definition of "all that common." They are not the most common building structure if you go to La Habana Vieja, nor if you go to the country side. But I have seen neighborhoods with those buildings that resemble military bases in the US because of the overwhelming presence of the same building. My sister lived in one these between 1991 and 1996 (the hard times of the special period). I visited her several times and I would rather live in one of those than where I live now. They are made of concrete, as opposed to the wooden piece of shit I live in now. This is important when hurricanes come though. They have patios, and my apartment does not. Also, they were built considering that AC will not be used, so the breeze blows through them if the windows and doors are open. That does not happen in my apartment either. The last time I visited one of these buildings was last month. The building seemed fine. But, the most important idea in my message was the people. Buildings, if not being used, are just empty arrangements of concrete, wood, and other building materials (of which we have a lot in the US). What makes them part of a neighborhood is when people live in them. The neighborhoods in Cuba, whether they include these buildings or other buildings, are neighborhoods. I don't know what the similar unit would be in the US, but it's not a neighborhood. And to me, that's more important than the color of a building or what someone in the first world has to say about the condition of the buildings in Cuba. Cuba does what it can with what it has.

All that common is pretty straightforward: 1) They make up quite the insignificant part of the total housing stock and do not house that large a percentage of the population and 2) Cuba has a significant housing shortage yet is not constructing a lot more of them to satisfy the population needs, new construction rates are very low.

As I elaborated earlier there are large estates of these blocks - most notably being La Habana del Este, and I am aware of their construction and designs, and they are an tropical adaptation of the Khruschevka design made for quick erection and provision of decent housing (some other designs also exist, but are far fewer in numbers.

I am quite convinced Cuba could have done a lot better in regards to the housing situation than it has, both in the past and in the present.

http://i55.tinypic.com/xbse1.jpg
Sadly weathered blocks in La Habana del Este, Microdistrict 10.

http://i56.tinypic.com/13z6aev.jpg
The typical 12-13 and 14 story larger slab type block, of higher quality; mostly 70's design.

It is unfortunate that all those blocks were completed primarily in the 60's and 70's, and since then, there has been very limited expansion of the housing stock, and much of it has been left in a dilapidated state; although as mentioned earlier, there has in recent times been some efforts to renovate and improve upon the old stock, occasional houses in La Habana del Este for example have been refurbished and patched up; however, with how the maintenance has been neglected for so long, this will take a long time to rectify.

[Fulanito de Tal]

All that common is pretty straightforward: 1) They make up quite the insignificant part of the total housing stock and do not house that large a percentage of the population and 2) Cuba has a significant housing shortage yet is not constructing a lot more of them to satisfy the population needs, new construction rates are very low.

As I elaborated earlier there are large estates of these blocks - most notably being La Habana del Este, and I am aware of their construction and designs, and they are an tropical adaptation of the Khruschevka design made for quick erection and provision of decent housing (some other designs also exist, but are far fewer in numbers.

I am quite convinced Cuba could have done a lot better in regards to the housing situation than it has, both in the past and in the present.

http://i55.tinypic.com/xbse1.jpg
Sadly weathered blocks in La Habana del Este, Microdistrict 10.

http://i56.tinypic.com/13z6aev.jpg
The typical 12-13 and 14 story larger slab type block, of higher quality; mostly 70's design.

It is unfortunate that all those blocks were completed primarily in the 60's and 70's, and since then, there has been very limited expansion of the housing stock, and much of it has been left in a dilapidated state; although as mentioned earlier, there has in recent times been some efforts to renovate and improve upon the old stock, occasional houses in La Habana del Este for example have been refurbished and patched up; however, with how the maintenance has been neglected for so long, this will take a long time to rectify.

Let's meet up in Cuba and split a bottle of rum :)

[Robocommie]

China never had extensive public housing programs whatsoever, instead preferring to leave a lot of dilapidated improvised housing in large areas - even to this day the countryside is littered with substandard housing - ironically capitalist Hong Kong (not to imply China is not capitalist, but to further stress the absurdity of China's claim to socialism) has had a fairly progressive housing policy, with more than 50% of flats being fairly high-quality rent-controlled public housing, ironic because the situation in mainland China is quite bad - most new flats these days are privately owned and a vile amount are in gated communities, and many of them serve little purpose apart from being objects of speculative purchases while astounding amounts of people have no decent home at all and rarely afford any of the newly produced things. The Mao-era saw even less housing construction than the early Deng-era, even--

Why so little housing initiative under Mao?

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

All that common is pretty straightforward: 1) They make up quite the insignificant part of the total housing stock and do not house that large a percentage of the population and 2) Cuba has a significant housing shortage yet is not constructing a lot more of them to satisfy the population needs, new construction rates are very low.

As I elaborated earlier there are large estates of these blocks - most notably being La Habana del Este, and I am aware of their construction and designs, and they are an tropical adaptation of the Khruschevka design made for quick erection and provision of decent housing (some other designs also exist, but are far fewer in numbers.

I am quite convinced Cuba could have done a lot better in regards to the housing situation than it has, both in the past and in the present.

http://i55.tinypic.com/xbse1.jpg
Sadly weathered blocks in La Habana del Este, Microdistrict 10.

http://i56.tinypic.com/13z6aev.jpg
The typical 12-13 and 14 story larger slab type block, of higher quality; mostly 70's design.

It is unfortunate that all those blocks were completed primarily in the 60's and 70's, and since then, there has been very limited expansion of the housing stock, and much of it has been left in a dilapidated state; although as mentioned earlier, there has in recent times been some efforts to renovate and improve upon the old stock, occasional houses in La Habana del Este for example have been refurbished and patched up; however, with how the maintenance has been neglected for so long, this will take a long time to rectify.

Of course, it should be noted that these days, La Habana Del Este is a collection of fairly wealthy (compared to the inner city) houses and tourist hotels. You don't see a huge amount of tower blocks there, compared to somewhere like Centro Habana.

And the housing blocks in Centro look really dilapidated, but it'd be almost impossible to tear them all down and rebuild them without causing mass disruption in the short term.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Why so little housing initiative under Mao?

I don't know; but I presume it might have been due to the "flip-flopping" of policy during most of the era, adapting to various shifts and so on, that prevented meaningful investment in housing, or simply that it was put-off for the time being as a less important issue; there was some built, but it was not very much compared to the 70's and 80's.


Of course, it should be noted that these days, La Habana Del Este is a collection of fairly wealthy (compared to the inner city) houses and tourist hotels. You don't see a huge amount of tower blocks there, compared to somewhere like Centro Habana.

Centro Habana does not have that many tower blocks. There are a few scattered ones, and a few hotels, too, but most of Centro Habana consists of old city blocks from far before the revolution, which are generally in a much worse state than even the dilapidated 60's block, with the exception of those which have been renovated, which sadly is not enough.

And speaking of Eastern Havana, I mean the large complex of housing estates that lies between the old village of Cojimar and eastwards to some sort of educational or industrial establishment, I think; I believe the name of the district is something like Alamar and is subdivided into several service micro-districts. There is also a larger district of major housing estates to the south-east of the Panamerican Stadium and the local sports complex around there, as well as one to the north-west of the stadium complex, near Via Monumental on the approach to the city centre-bound tunnel.

There are also a number of blocks to the south-west of Plaza de la Revolucion, as well as a few in the western outskirts, however these are far from as plenty as the large estates of Alamar.

[Dr Mindbender]

anyone know of any pictures of soviet homes?

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

anyone know of any pictures of soviet homes?

What do you want? If you want interiors, that's more difficult, but there's bound to be some in Soviet-era films; of note in that regard is the comedy film Irony of Fate from 1975, which references standardised furniture as was placed in new flats; if you mean single-family houses, most of those were built during firstly the 1917-1928 era and then again during 1935-1948 or so, when building single homes again was disallowed in city planning regulation for urban areas.

The housing stock where single homes existed was generally of the lowest quality in the Soviet Union; the homes often being little more than dachas, except often equipped with more amenities like water and electricity; it was desired to replace them, but managing the scarce resources resulted in focus on medium- and larger cities, where most redevelopments were carried out.

Anyway, I'll use that as an excuse to post pictures anyway:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Brick_Khrushchev_house_in_Tomsk.jpg/800px-Brick_Khrushchev_house_in_Tomsk.jpg

This panorama gives a good excerpt of building traditions;

A typical 50's Khrushchevka. Depending on local conditions and the time at which they were built, they have different types of facades; some have bricks of various types, others have pre-frabricade squares, and a few make use of extensive tiles. Most are 4-5 stories tall, but some point blocks were also built at larger heights to give variation to some neighbourhoods.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Centr_Novokosino.JPG/800px-Centr_Novokosino.JPG

Blocks of the P-44 variety, which were some of the last type to be wide-spread all across the Soviet Union. It provided larger flats and better sound-proofing of walls and windows, as well as improved piping and well, most things.

Blocks were rarely entirely uniform, and city- and local administrative divisions often made changes to the overall design to fit local needs; there are many slight differences that can be seen on various blocks throughout the Soviet Union (also note that all the constituent republics too had their own designs for blocks after the first ground work of providing better housing had been laid by the Khruschev-era housing plan, which means that blocks in the other constituent republics often are quite dramatically different; of special note is Yerevan, that is home to a particular large housing estate of near-cylindrical towers, an estate which, sadly, was not entirely completed and is quite dilapidated today). This means that blocks, for those that are willing to look deeper, can allow you to roughly place a location.

By 1989-1990 the composite block design was introduced in Moscow and Leningrad, which offered a higher ceiling clearance and improved sound-proofing; this block type often has parts of its concrete details made on site rather than as pre-fabricated elements to assure the improved sound qualities (though the walls are generally still using pre-fabricated elements). The designs vary from 18-25 stories tall. By the late 80's several new point block designs had also been developed; some of them cylindrical with larger windows for light qualities, as well as more conventional types, varying between 25 and 30 stories tall. The composite block design is still used in modified forms today, and many of them have been erected, particularly in Moscow, though naturally today the primary housing that is going up in Russia is massive luxury complexes for the wealthy that makes the 4 and 5-room family flats that were provided with some preference to people in good political standing (or economic, scientists of merit etc) look like kid's toys.

[Fulanito de Tal]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Brick_Khrushchev_house_in_Tomsk.jpg/800px-Brick_Khrushchev_house_in_Tomsk.jpgI've been in something very similar to this in Dubna, Moscow Oblast. This was about 16 years ago, so this may not be exactly correct, but from what I remember, the floor plan looked something like this:
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h376/fulanitodetal46/RussianApartment.png

The burnt orange person is a 8-10 year-old child.

Looking at the actual picture of the building, the entrance is the wooden door. Above that, those windows are for the staircase. To the right of that, that window corresponds to the kitchen in my floor plan drawing. The next set of windows would be the living room.

The kitchen had these cabinets that lead to the outside. In the winter, the tenant would store frozen stuff in those cabinets like ice cream or meat. The hot water never ran out because it was supplied by a heating factory in the town. There was no private water heater in the apartment. Also, the place was heated by radiators that were heated by hot water from the factory.

[Arlekino]

I grow up in those flats. Two rooms, kitchen, balcony, corridor neighbours, older ladies used sitting on the benches and uh lot of stories "somebody got new boyfried and so on", males used play chess with bottle of beer or vodka, teenagers standing with guitars, children playing games it was full of life it was no individualism. To go back previous question some people waited for 10 years to get flat, some get very quickly.

[Fulanito de Tal]

older ladies used sitting on the benches and uh lot of stories "somebody got new boyfried and so on", males used play chess with bottle of beer or vodka, teenagers standing with guitars, children playing games it was full of life it was no individualism.

This is great times a million. I have seen/heard many people talk/write bad about how the buildings weren't as aesthetically pleasing, a window took forever to get repaired, or the paint fell off. Who cares about that? Comparing capitalism to socialism on what capitalism is good at will eventually result in capitalism winning. Socialism cannot compete with the profit motif to modernize and continue to increase productivity because for the ruling class in capitalism, it's do or fail. Socialism is not about having a freshly painted home, the newest phone, the fastest car, or tricking people into thinking that if you don't work 40 hours a week you don't deserve health care. It's about community, freedom, and humanity.

If you can't understand this, you need to realize that your values have been shaped by the society you live in. The hundreds of commercials that you see a day, the conversations at work about pay, the house warming parties to show of what someone was capable of accumulating,...all that is capitalist propaganda, whether intentional or not.

[Arlekino]

This is great times a million. I have seen/heard many people talk/write bad about how the buildings weren't as aesthetically pleasing, a window took forever to get repaired, or the paint fell off. Who cares about that? Comparing capitalism to socialism on what capitalism is good at will eventually result in capitalism winning. Socialism cannot compete with the profit motif to modernize and continue to increase productivity because for the ruling class in capitalism, it's do or fail. Socialism is not about having a freshly painted home, the newest phone, the fastest car, or tricking people into thinking that if you don't work 40 hours a week you don't deserve health care. It's about community, freedom, and humanity.

If you can't understand this, you need to realize that your values have been shaped by the society you live in. The hundreds of commercials that you see a day, the conversations at work about pay, the house warming parties to show of what someone was capable of accumulating,...all that is capitalist propaganda, whether intentional or not.

What you mean by that If you don't understand this?
Well I can't digest capitalist society. About houses I wrote with nostalgic views, yes it was of course some housing problems intersting we never was worry to put lamp or worry how much do we have to pay for heating cost, as we do know afraid to use water or gaz because it cost money.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

full of life it was no individualism

It is a common criticism, particularly from some parts in the west, particularly the U.S. - with its heavy emphasis on owning a home and the pastoral homestead dream of old - that the buildings "all look the same" and that this "makes the individual small", and for this reason such architecture has been derided as "anti-human socialist architecture" by certain lovers of post-modern buildings that more look like abstract art than buildings; sickening bourgeoisie monstrosities of the likes vomited up on drawing table by scum like Norman Foster and his ilk.

This "lack of a sense of individuality", they extrapolate, must result in a lack of community; however, this is obviously an absurd reductionism, yet it is very prevalent in capitalist concepts of architecture. They like to put the blame on the architecture of an area for the social ills they can see - it's as common with the liberals as with the conservative nutters; the superficial externalities, they seem to think, form the social fabric, and even though this goes against all experience and evidence, it persists, it even strengthens; they even demolish high-rise blocks to rid cities of social ills, and replace it with "mixed income housing" or simply let the area "gentrify", often against the wishes of the residents; even troubled areas that have been vilified in media as horrendous crime-ridden ghettoes have often quite strong local communities, much stronger than you'd find in any single-family suburban sprawl district.

What this means is that the reality is that the community makes the area; the architecture is something that exists as background noise, a distant road, it has real bearing on the "success or failure" in the eyes of the bourgeoisie main-stream.

Anyhow I think blocks are much prettier than people like to give them credit for; to some extent I think this might simply be a reaction to seeing something they are not used to, or because they are elitists convinced "those things" - which they have never really seen up close - are terrible after reading the bourgie press and its loathing of the mass-housing project, which it regards as a "socialist failure"; they'd rather have their own exclusive mansions and horrid squalor in shanty towns and perpetual homelessness. Many residential areas with blocks - though sometimes, because of capitalism, lacking accessibility to services and such - are also very green and bolster open spaces, trees and sometimes make very good use of terrain features for variation.

[Arlekino]

Interesting I am now living in England and when I going back on visit those flats are look very grey, miserable, I would blame of change society not because they are grey the reason hardly ever I so people sitting on benches and less children playing in outside maybe most of online, of parents afraid of danger in streets.
This would be out of topic I posted in non political section about housing and individualism. Houses are houses people need to live somewhere and yes capitalist will tell to us we have to get bigger house or more comfortable house but trouble people has to live somewhere.

[Fulanito de Tal]

What you mean by that If you don't understand this?
Well I can't digest capitalist society. About houses I wrote with nostalgic views, yes it was of course some housing problems intersting we never was worry to put lamp or worry how much do we have to pay for heating cost, as we do know afraid to use water or gaz because it cost money.

Sorry, I got caught up in the writing. I didn't mean you. I meant the person reading the post.

[Aurorus Ruber]

I've been in something very similar to this in Dubna, Moscow Oblast. This was about 16 years ago, so this may not be exactly correct, but from what I remember, the floor plan looked something like this:
http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h376/fulanitodetal46/RussianApartment.png

The burnt orange person is a 8-10 year-old child.

Looking at the actual picture of the building, the entrance is the wooden door. Above that, those windows are for the staircase. To the right of that, that window corresponds to the kitchen in my floor plan drawing. The next set of windows would be the living room.

So the apartment only has one bedroom? I am wondering how that would work for a whole family. Did they simply use that one bedroom or did the living room double as a sleeping space or something?

[Fulanito de Tal]

So the apartment only has one bedroom? I am wondering how that would work for a whole family. Did they simply use that one bedroom or did the living room double as a sleeping space or something?

I don't know. It was a single adult living there and her brother would come stay once in a while. He would sleep in the living room.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

So the apartment only has one bedroom? I am wondering how that would work for a whole family. Did they simply use that one bedroom or did the living room double as a sleeping space or something?

Each block often, as elsewhere, has different types of flats; 1 or 2 rooms being most common, as well as 3 room family flats. The spaces provided in the earliest 50's blocks were the smallest, though still very generous compared to that which was before (where very often there were more than one family per flat, and I think the space to resident ratio in Leningrad and Moscow at around 1940 was something like 9 square meters per resident), with flats up to 40 and 50 square meters, sometimes more. Sizes were gradually increased and the later blocks often had 3-4 room flats with several bedrooms for families, upwards 70-80 square meters.

The first housing regulation provided that there was to be 22 square meters per resident in any housing, however this was never realised in any meaningful way until after the 1957 housing construction plan, which more than doubled the total housing stock in seven years. This obviously meant that families were allocated the larger flats, as well.