Architectural Transcendence in Soviet-Era Housing: Evidence from Socialist Residential Districts in Tallinn, Estonia

Abstract

In Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, housing estates are often associated with inhumane architecture, unwelcoming public space and unending repetition, outcomes that have been attributed to strict design requirements in a rigid centralised system. Due to the uniformity and standardisation of residential housing produced during socialist times, both the design process and its master-the architect-are believed to have played only minor roles in shaping townscapes. This study, situated in the large housing estates of Tallinn, Estonia, challenges these assumptions using analyses of archival material. The study also explains-through first-hand interviews with senior architects who were key players in building socialist cities-the relations between strict Soviet regulations and vital elements of the city building process, including creativity, power and artistry. Analysis of primary source materials highlights an oversimplification of socialist modernism, which suggests more nuanced explanations for town planning outcomes that differ from what strict adherence to Soviet guidelines would have produced. Findings also suggest that regulations issued in Moscow for USSR-wide site planning played a less important role than previously assumed in town planning outcomes in Estonia. International modernist city planning ideals, combined with local expertise (and a willingness to push boundaries yet remain within the political system), strongly influenced town planning practice in the Soviet 'West'.

Enlargement of apartments in socialist housing estates in Skopje under transition: The tension between individual preferences and collective action

“…Its design reflected the rigid principles of spatial arrangement of prefabricated building blocks in a fixed structural grid (Fig. 2); a kindergarten, primary and secondary school were also provided within walking distance and access to amenities among residents was predefined, similar to many newly built neighborhoods in CEE (Hess & Metspalu, 2019).…”

“…Karpoš bears similarities with neighborhoods in other cities built during the same period where equality, access to amenities, and standardized units built with prefabricated panels were key Fig. 1 The city of Skopje and the location of the case study neighborhood Karpoš Source: Created by authors features of the socialist urban form (Hess & Metspalu, 2019). These similarities to other housing estates built in the same period across CEE make Karpoš and Skopje a compelling case study for investigating the impact of neighborhood-level transformative processes since 1991.…”

The Role of the Visual Aesthetic Quality of Public Space in Appropriation Processes of Large-Scale Residential Areas = Lielmēroga dzīvojamo rajonu publiskās ārtelpas vizuāli estētiskās kvalitātes nozīme tās izmantošanas procesos

“…Mūsdienu literatūrā vēsturisko tēmu zinātnisko pētījumu strāvojums Baltijas valstīs turpinās, aptverot gan dzīvojamos rajonus kopumā, gan koncentrējoties uz atsevišķu rajonu ģenēzes, telpiskās organizācijas vai reģionālās specifikas izpēti. (Drėmaitė, 2017;Drėmaitė, 2019;Hess, Metspalu, 2019;Treija, Bratuškins, 2019) Vispopulārākā ir monogrāfiskā metode. Latvijas arhitekti pievērsušies arī jautājumiem, kas saistīti ar telpiskās organizācijas izmaiņu pieejām un to sekām.…”