Geographia Polonica (2019) vol. 92, iss. 1

The last of the Soviets’ Home: Urban demolition in Moscow

Guénola Inizan, Lydia Coudroy de Lille

Geographia Polonica (2019) vol. 92, iss. 1, pp. 37-56 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0135

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to a program of the demolition of thousands of housing estates built during the Khrushchev period in the Federation of Russia. Although this process has been undertaken since the beginning of the twenty-first century, it has seen a significant growth in 2017 within the program called Renovation. The paper begins with the historical and geographical context that  led to the birth of this layer of the Soviet architecture and presents Renovation as it has been completed in 2018 in Moscow, as well as the reaction of the inhabitants of these blocks.

Keywords: Russia, Moscow, demolition, Khrushchevki, Renovation, urban policy

Guénola Inizan [guenola.inizan@univ-lyon2.fr], Univ Lyon, Université Lumière Lyon 2, CNRS UMR 5600 EVS UFR Temps et territoire 5, avenue Pierre Mendès-France,F-69676 Bron cedex: France
Lydia Coudroy de Lille [lydia.coudroydelille@univ-lyon2.fr], Univ Lyon, Université Lumière Lyon 2, CNRS UMR 5600 EVS UFR Temps et territoire 5, avenue Pierre Mendès-France,F-69676 Bron cedex: France