Housing Construction in the Soviet Union

Abstract

The improvement of people’s housing conditions is one of the main tasks facing the Soviet government. Housing construction on such a scale has made it possible to offer better housing conditions to about half the population over the past ten years. Every year, between 11 and 12 million people either move into flats in newly-built apartment blocks or add to their floor area in existing houses with improved comforts and in the provision of additional amenities. The basic source of finance for housing construction is the centralised state capital investments appropriated under an economic development plan. This accounts for approximately 80 per cent of the total funds. The experience in building and using houses built earlier, under standard designs, has shown the need for improvement both in the variety of flats, which is somewhat limited, and the aesthetic standards of architecture.