If you live in a run down building, you propably can not afford something better. So tearing them down will make you homeless. So tearing them down seems like a bad idea to me, if people still live in them.
But these buildings can be renovated fairly easily to a reasonably high standard. In East Germany we have a good number of them with new outside cladding for better insulation a looks, as well as refurbished interior. They got some commie blocks up to plus energy housing, so pretty great. In terms of quality of the flats they are not amazing, but still really nice to live in.
But Lithuania really has to fix its renovation code, to allow for multi private owner renovations. This is a problem not just for commie blocks but for multi family in general.
About bloody time…
Do ours next…
provided they really take care of the people living there okay
Lithuania wants a piece of the West-Europe’s housing crisis? This is one way to do it.
It’s sadly been true in my experience. As a kid I used to live in an old bloc from the late 70ties before my family moved to a house in 2004. Around 15 years later, nearly everyone of our old neighbours has either moved out or died of an old age. Now it’s inhabited mostly by very old people, those who cant afford anything better or students renting out. This obviously has an impact on the objects upkeep as less and less people are paying their rents. Additonally, due to the lack of paid security (like in all of the new blocs) there are also a lot of drunk bums roaming around especially at night, often breaking into people’s gardens and leaving a mess.
My parents still rent out the old flat we used to live in so I get to be in the neighborhood sometimes, but it’s clearly seen better days. It’s a shame not only because of my own childhood memories but also because the area is otherwise very nice – tons of greeny, a newly renovated playground, an elementary school and shops. The place needs some kind of gentrification effort or it will spiral down into a ghetto soon.
6 comments
So it begins
If you live in a run down building, you propably can not afford something better. So tearing them down will make you homeless. So tearing them down seems like a bad idea to me, if people still live in them.
But these buildings can be renovated fairly easily to a reasonably high standard. In East Germany we have a good number of them with new outside cladding for better insulation a looks, as well as refurbished interior. They got some commie blocks up to plus energy housing, so pretty great. In terms of quality of the flats they are not amazing, but still really nice to live in.
But Lithuania really has to fix its renovation code, to allow for multi private owner renovations. This is a problem not just for commie blocks but for multi family in general.
About bloody time…
Do ours next…
provided they really take care of the people living there okay
Lithuania wants a piece of the West-Europe’s housing crisis? This is one way to do it.
It’s sadly been true in my experience. As a kid I used to live in an old bloc from the late 70ties before my family moved to a house in 2004. Around 15 years later, nearly everyone of our old neighbours has either moved out or died of an old age. Now it’s inhabited mostly by very old people, those who cant afford anything better or students renting out. This obviously has an impact on the objects upkeep as less and less people are paying their rents. Additonally, due to the lack of paid security (like in all of the new blocs) there are also a lot of drunk bums roaming around especially at night, often breaking into people’s gardens and leaving a mess.
My parents still rent out the old flat we used to live in so I get to be in the neighborhood sometimes, but it’s clearly seen better days. It’s a shame not only because of my own childhood memories but also because the area is otherwise very nice – tons of greeny, a newly renovated playground, an elementary school and shops. The place needs some kind of gentrification effort or it will spiral down into a ghetto soon.