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Continuities and discontinuities of Russian urban housing: The Soviet housing experiment in historical long-term perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Kalyukin

    (Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF), Uppsala University, Sweden)

  • Sebastian Kohl

    (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany; Uppsala University, Sociology/IBF, Sweden)

Abstract

Did the socialist experiment disrupt continuity in Russian urban housing? Based on a unique collection of urban data covering several hundred Russian cities and spanning three regimes across more than a century, this paper gives a nuanced account of continuities and discontinuities of housing in post-Soviet cities. Three main housing characteristics are analysed: urban density (persons per building and living space per capita), ownership structure and the modernisation of stock (building material and provision with amenities). Although all Russian cities underwent a number of major shocks and regime changes during the course of the 20th century, their rankings with regard to these three key housing characteristics are still significantly correlated over time, whereas living space per capita is largely uncorrelated over time. This holds true despite significant convergence processes in almost all dimensions and also when including contemporary control variables. We hypothesise that local or regional building traditions, regional differentiation in Soviet urban planning as well as Soviet land use specificities could explain differential growth across cities. Going beyond existing late-Soviet-legacy timeframes, the long-term perspective reveals that even major regime shocks did not completely erase regionally shaped patterns in housing conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Kalyukin & Sebastian Kohl, 2020. "Continuities and discontinuities of Russian urban housing: The Soviet housing experiment in historical long-term perspective," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(8), pages 1768-1785, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:57:y:2020:i:8:p:1768-1785
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098019852326
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Jane Zavisca & Theodore Gerber & Hyungjun Suh, 2021. "Housing Status in Post-Soviet Contexts: A Multi-dimensional Measurement Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 609-634, January.

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