Urban Transformations of Kharkiv’s Large Housing Estates •

Kharkiv is the second largest city of Ukraine with a unique history of urban housing development. In the 20th century it became a field of large housing construction. More than 10 large housing estates were constructed in the period between the second half of 1950s–late 1980s following the Soviet method of prefabricated construction, which was introduced into urban planning in connection with the radical change of all architectural and construction activities in the USSR. This paper explores factors of post-socialist urban development (after the change of political regime in Ukraine in 1991) of the case study large housing areas. For the purpose of the study, two Kharkiv large housing areas were selected – Novi Budynky and Pavlovo Pole, which were designed and built in the same period (late 1950s) and were the first residential areas of Kharkiv built according to the new planning principles of Soviet prefabricated construction. Pavlovo Pole is a large housing estate located not far from the historic center regarded as a good quality housing area, intended for the Soviet “intelligentsia” while Novi Budynky is often a stigmatized area constructed mainly for the factory workers. Key research questions are: description of the history of construction and development of Pavlovo Pole and Novi Budynky large housing estates; comparison of the specific features of their design and construction; to determine how these large housing estates are connected with the rest of the city spatially and in terms of socio-cultural aspect, in particular with the city center; to identify the reasons and content of key urban transformations in the large housing areas, such as: demolition of houses and new construction, reduction of the area of public recreational function, appropriation of deserted areas, etc. Harkov Ukrajna második legnagyobb városa, amely egyedülálló történettel rendelkezik a városi lakásfejlesztés területén. A 20. században nagy lakásépítkezések zajlottak: az 1950-es évek második fele és az 1980-as évek vége közötti időszakban több mint 10 nagy lakótelep épült Harkovban az előregyártott építés szovjet módszerét követve, amelyet a Szovjetunióban az összes építészeti és építési tevékenység radikális változásával összefüggésben vezettek be a várostervezésbe. Ez a tanulmány az 1991-es ukrajnai rendszerváltás utáni posztszocialista városfejlesztés tényezőit vizsgálja két harkovi nagy lakótelepen. Novi Budynky és a Pavlovo Pole, a város első nagy lakótelepei, melyeket az 1950-es évek végén terveztek és építettek a szovjet előregyártott építés új tervezési elveinek megfelelően. Pavlovo Pole a történelmi központhoz közeli, ma is jó minő-ségű lakóterületnek tekinthető, amit a szovjet „értelmiségnek” szántak, míg Novi Budynky gyakran stigma-tizált városrész, amelyet elsősorban a gyári munkásoknak építettek. A legfontosabb kutatási kérdések a következők: Pavlovo Pole és Novi Budynky nagy lakótelepei építésének és fejlődésének története; tervezésük és kivitelezésük sajátosságainak összehasonlítása; annak meghatározása, hogy ezek a nagy lakótelepek hogyan kapcsolódnak a város többi részéhez, különösen a városközponthoz térben és társadalmi-kulturális szempontból; a nagy lakóövezetekben zajló, kulcsfontosságú városi átalakulások okainak és tartalmának azonosítása, mint például: házak bontása és új építés, a nyilvános rekreációs területek csökkentése, elhagyatott területek kisajátítása stb.

The Evolution of Multifamily Housing: Post-Second World War Large Housing Estates versus Post-Socialist Multifamily Housing Types in Slovenia

The academic discourse on post-Second World War (post-WW2) multifamily housing complexes has mostly focused on their negative aspects, related, especially, to their high population densities, poor quality of construction and social problems, due to the dominance of low-income residents. In reaction to these and other negative characteristics, alternative multifamily housing types started to emerge, first in Western European countries in the 1970s, and later in Eastern European countries, following the adoption of the market economy system at the beginning of the 1990s. The transformation that has occurred in mass housing types has been particularly distinct in Eastern European countries. Motivated by the lack of focused analyses of the important characteristics of these transformations, this article adopts a rare approach to the mass housing debate by focusing on examining the merits of post-WW2 large housing estates as compared to those of the post-socialist era. With a focus on Slovenia as a case study, a comparative analysis is performed by conducting a detailed review of the literature and other relevant sources. The comparative analysis shows that post-socialist multifamily housing types have many advantages over the post-WW2 housing estates, a finding that leads us to deduce that the transformations in mass housing typologies that have occurred in Slovenia (and other Eastern European countries) may have serious implications on the future of large housing estates. It is thus suggested in the conclusion that suitable regeneration policies need to be urgently implemented in post-WW2 housing estates in order to create more attractive living environments and prevent the potential degradation of these neighborhoods, which would, in turn, result in spatial residential segregation with concentrations of low-income households in post-WW2 housing estates.

Proposal for Modernisation of Large Block System Buildings (Lbs) - Facades – Lublin University of Technology

The over 40-years-old housing stock from the industrialized mass housing era is today functionally deficient and does not meet the current needs of residents. In particular, there are numerous architectural barriers, the systems are worn and obsolete, and the number of housing types is very limited. Examples of the modernization of multi-story residential buildings (the article presents those from Russia and Ukraine) confirm that this problem is universal, and a significant improvement of the building’s. utility value can be achieved through a relatively small modification of the building fabric: precast concrete structures of the buildings prove to be flexible enough to accommodate deep changes. The authors present a concept of modernization of a building erected in a “large block” system, typical for the Polish housing of the 1970s in many cities. The case study concerns a particular building located in Lublin in one of the large housing estates – the concept of its modernization is compatible with the local spatial development plan, the proposed solutions are architecturally coherent and technically feasible.

Update Cheryomushki: perspectives for future housing

The shortage of residential space in many urban areas and the question about how this can be alleviated leads to the existing large residential housing estates, which are of great significance when it comes to providing living space for broad sections of the population in the future. Large housing estates potentially have a valuable role to play in providing housing – the dwellings there are highly adaptable, making them suitable for designing a living environment with few barriers, and they also have a high proportion of open spaces. In order to transform prefabricated dwelling areas into attractive neighborhoods and wanted housing not only the existing urban fabric have to be renovated and new types of dwelling integreated but as well the open spaces shall be improved..

Public space as a medium for emerging governance networks in post-privatised large housing estates in Tartu and Vilnius

In most post-socialist cities modernist mass housing comprises a remarkable share of urban housing with a substantial population living there. Therefore, socialist large housing estates (LHEs) have been a fruitful source for research to gather systematic knowledge concerning segregation and housing preferences. Less is known, however, of contemporary LHE-related urban policies and planning interventions. This study asks how in the post-privatisation era, when former governance structures had disappeared, did new urban governance arrangements related to LHEs begin to emerge. We take a closer look at two LHE areas in post-Soviet cities: Annelinn (Tartu, Estonia) and Žirmunai Triangle (Vilnius, Lithuania). The research is based on expert interviews and document analysis exploring the formation of governance networks in both cities since the 2000s and the rationale behind recent planning initiatives. A common new spatial expectation for housing estates’ residents and contemporary urban planners seems to be a perceptible differentiation of the public, semi-public and private spaces, instead of the former modernist concept of free planning and large open areas between buildings. As the heightened planning interest came at a time when European cohesion measures supported urban budgets, it also has led to tangible investments, and builds the consensus that the public sector should return to post-privatised LHEs. We argue that public space has been a great medium for modern governance networks and bringing LHEs back to the urban agenda in post-socialist cities and that the lessons learned in the post-socialist context provide an insight for the wider global marketization debate.

Trends of out-mobility from large housing estates in Stockholm: influences of the housing policy and neighbourhood context

Since 1990s Stockholm housing market has seen deregulations in accordance with liberalization trends in other European welfare states. The new governance principles together with increasing immigration and public rental housing conversions into cooperative housing in attractive inner city areas have put pressure on still rental-dominated estates because fewer rental dwellings must now cater to expanding numbers of people who have little choice on the housing market. In recent decades, many estates have displayed increasing signs of stigmatization, social exclusion, and outflow of relatively affluent people. This paper improves our knowledge of how the housing policy and economic changes have affected out-mobility from the housing estates in case of three cohorts of young people and how the childhood neighbourhood conditions affect this. Individual annual Swedish registry data (1990–2014) are employed to longitudinally study the out-mobility patterns of three cohorts that grew up in the estates against the backdrop of marketization, growing inequality and deteriorating conditions. This study supplements the existing literature on housing estates by clarifying how income has become more and ethnicity less important over time in explaining sorting patterns from these estates. However, the combination of the two has determined sorting throughout the study period. Growing up in a higher socioeconomic status neighbourhood had modest impact on reducing socioeconomic differences in out-mobility from the estates, while leading to more sorting based on ethnic background.

Contemporary Food Markets within Budapest’s Large Housing Estates: Factors Influencing the Design Process

Food markets provide a continuous urban function at the centre of urban quarters, and their structures are an important component of the local identity. Therefore, they could be crucial in the complex renewal process of a mass housing neighbourhood, indeed. The paper focuses on the contemporary markets within Budapest’s three large housing estates, in Újpest Centre, Békásmegyer, and Havanna, opened in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The research is based not only on the study of relevant literature, design documents, publications, fieldwork, but also on a survey conducted with three well-recognized Hungarian architects in order to understand and compare their views on the complex context beyond the urban and architectural solutions. The questions focused on the crucial or determining factors of the design process such as the budget, the main players, references, physical context (built and natural), social context, program, and technology. These public projects of varied scale were used for exemplary contemporary food market case studies from Budapest, in which the people involved took into consideration the existing social and material problems and the potential of the heritage of modern mass housing neighbourhoods.