Why is Socialist Housing so Ugly

Or is it?

When people drive through the outskirts of any major Slavic city that once belonged to the Soviet giant, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, or any similar countries, they often frown upon the endless panoramas of socialist housing blocks that intimidate western eyes and freeze the blood in their veins, perhaps reminding them of the gulag pains or the chilly winds of North Korea. Living there must fell like imprisonment, they might think to themselves. These buildings look drab, lifeless, and mechanical. And to some extent, this might be true. But let me spend some time trying to defend these magnificent structures and explain their true identity.

Photo by author.

Most of these housing projects were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Knowing a bit of world history, this alone should tell you all you need to know; the rest is simply a logical deduction. So let’s walk together through it.

Unlike the United States, Europe was in ruins after the second world war. Many people’s homes were completely ruined, and there was a huge demand for affordable housing. This is not only true for the “communist” countries but also for the western part like Germany (which was particularly struck), France, Austria, Great Britain, and all others. So to say that this particular architecture is limited to socialist states would be thoroughly wrong — it is a…