The post-Soviet built environment. Case study of Kalinigrad dwellings and riverbank

All around the world architectural heritage is at an intersection of interests of both government and real estate market, thereby is constantly at the risk to be transferred into the category ‘lost’. Today Soviet large housing estates here as well as in all Post-Soviet space represent repetitive, monotonouse and disordering urban environment. And every day the land becomes more and more expensive in the city, thus replacing of falling into decay Soviet buildings with new one of hotels and shopping centers sounds more efficient in condition of market economy. This logic seems even more justified when you find out that most people from post socialistic countries, including Russia itself, shudder at the thought about the USSR. However, replacement of all buildings of Soviet epoch with more contemporary ones risks to result in the loss of historical memory. So, the central question examined is what if instead of following capitalism ‘rules’ we try to open up these spaces for a new meanings. The mass housing in the Russian city of Kaliningrad is not an exception. Moreover, in consideration of the dramatic history of the city some of these monofunctional large-scale housing estates are located in the historical city center facing to the riverbank - the most potential area for development.