Evolution of the housing sector in Soviet cities: from kommunalkas to prefabricated blocks.

Authors

  • Oihan Diaz Franco EHU

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26876/uztaro5186

Keywords:

Soviet Union, housing, kommunalka, khrushchevka

Abstract

This paper aims to study the evolution of urban housing throughout the history of the Soviet Union. Despite some allusion to the rural world, the development of sovkhoz, kolkhoz, and other agrarian residential forms have not been addressed. Similarly dacha or holiday homes held by some Soviets outside the cities have been excluded. The work has been done using secondary sources.

After a brief presentation of the historical context, especially the economic one, the work is divided into two periods: from the revolution to the death of Stalin, in which the kommunalkas were the main type of housing; and from the beginning of the reforms by Khrustchev to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the period in which the prefabricated family houses prevailed. The organization of the construction sector and the types of housing have been mainly analyzed. Finally, the work ends with a section about the housing allocation process.

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Published

2025-11-18

How to Cite

Diaz Franco, O. (2025). Evolution of the housing sector in Soviet cities: from kommunalkas to prefabricated blocks. Uztaro. Giza Eta Gizarte-Zientzien Aldizkaria, (135), 51–74. https://doi.org/10.26876/uztaro5186

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