On the one hand, I guess it’s a more efficient packing of people into urban areas than having large green spaces. On the other hand, it’s fucking depressing, and I think kids miss something in childhood without psuedo wild spaces to go explore alone.
If you’re talking about the OP image, it’s actually inefficient as fuck. The houses depicted there house the same number of people as one or maybe two apartment blocks. And those apartment blocks can then have a bunch of greenery between them.
Actually maintained soviet apartment blocs aren’t nearly as depressing as the ones taken in winter, that haven’t been maintained properly since the dissolution of socialism:
These apartments provided housing for people that lived largely in shacks, where smoke from heating caused early deaths:
Soviet city planning made things walkable, with schools, playgrounds, and greenery within walking distance from nearly every apartment.
I believe I originally found it while looking for similar images. A good bit of info on housing I know came from Hakim’s video on soviet housing. I’d love to have a primary source document to reference, such as a newspaper or book, but for images I usually grab them from internet searches.
It’s hard to find anything about it on the english internet, there’s a bit more on the russian it seems, but it’s harder to navigate it when you don’t speak the language.
I grew up in a Soviet apartment bloc, and I did way more exploring outside than kids living in suburbia could ever hope to. For one, it was completely safe to let kids go out and play on their own. There were always green spaces and playgrounds between a few apartment buildings, and you’d go and play there.
I think you just need well-placed parks in the urban areas. I think it’s worth asking ourselves why we don’t really hear people bemoan the upbringing and experiences of kids from really urban cities like NYC or Tokyo. But when it comes to Soviet apartment blocs, this becomes a real concern. I think it’s a double-standard that’s been propagandized onto us.
Notice the multiple “I thinks” – it’s not like I’m out here doing surveys on the topic. This is just how it seems to me.
On the one hand, I guess it’s a more efficient packing of people into urban areas than having large green spaces. On the other hand, it’s fucking depressing, and I think kids miss something in childhood without psuedo wild spaces to go explore alone.
If you’re talking about the OP image, it’s actually inefficient as fuck. The houses depicted there house the same number of people as one or maybe two apartment blocks. And those apartment blocks can then have a bunch of greenery between them.
And the space can be more walkable, with grocery stores, schools, clinics, and more nearby.
Actually maintained soviet apartment blocs aren’t nearly as depressing as the ones taken in winter, that haven’t been maintained properly since the dissolution of socialism:
These apartments provided housing for people that lived largely in shacks, where smoke from heating caused early deaths:
Soviet city planning made things walkable, with schools, playgrounds, and greenery within walking distance from nearly every apartment.
I’ve seen you post the last one before, what’s the source for it?
I believe I originally found it while looking for similar images. A good bit of info on housing I know came from Hakim’s video on soviet housing. I’d love to have a primary source document to reference, such as a newspaper or book, but for images I usually grab them from internet searches.
It seems it might be “The People’s dining room in the Nizhny Novgorod region” by Mikhail Dmitriev
Interesting! I’ll have to check that out later, thanks comrade!
It’s hard to find anything about it on the english internet, there’s a bit more on the russian it seems, but it’s harder to navigate it when you don’t speak the language.
Yea that’s entirely fair. One day for me, maybe, haha.
I grew up in a Soviet apartment bloc, and I did way more exploring outside than kids living in suburbia could ever hope to. For one, it was completely safe to let kids go out and play on their own. There were always green spaces and playgrounds between a few apartment buildings, and you’d go and play there.
I think you just need well-placed parks in the urban areas. I think it’s worth asking ourselves why we don’t really hear people bemoan the upbringing and experiences of kids from really urban cities like NYC or Tokyo. But when it comes to Soviet apartment blocs, this becomes a real concern. I think it’s a double-standard that’s been propagandized onto us.
Notice the multiple “I thinks” – it’s not like I’m out here doing surveys on the topic. This is just how it seems to me.