"Минский феномен". Городское планирование и урбанизация в Советском Союзе после Второй мировой войны

by Thomas M. Bohn

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Inna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched and well-thought out work on the reconstruction of Minsk after WWII. The author claims that instead of rebuilding the largely destroyed city the planners chose to reconstruct it as what they perceived as a new socialist city - classicism in architecture, wide streets, functionality, green areas. This proved impossible due to concentrating in Minsk of the regional industries and the resulting mass influx of workers from Belorussian villages. The influx also included students and others hoping to improve their life standards through moving to the city. The large enterprises who were mostly responsible for construction, did not have sufficient resources to supply with minimal living space even their own employees, which meant that the city authorities could do nothing against illegal construction and abysmal living conditions. Khrushchev's attempt to limit the numbers of residents of the big cities was not successful in Minsk, requiring more and more labor. People found ways to overcome the residence laws and the authorities had no choice but ignore the situation.
In general, a very good work on attempts to create a livable urban reality sabotaged by financial and bureaucratic problems.