From an Industrial Complex based Housing Quarters to a Residential Neighbourhood: the Evolution of the Concept of Housing Complex as Illustrated by a Workers’ Settlement of Kharkiv Tractor Factory in 1920-1960s

The lecture presented peculiarities of development of Soviet urban construction in the 1930-1960s as illustrated by the evolution of building workers’ settlement at Kharkiv tractor factory. Conventional approaches to Soviet architectural process within this period usually present the 1930-1950s as a disruption period, or even a pass into history, as compared to progressive search of the 1920s and the 1960s. The story of building a workers’ settlement of Kharkiv tractor factory in the 1930-1960s makes the picture more complicated and shows that the development of Soviet urban construction was a more complex and integral process. It provided for each new stage to reconsider previous achievements rather than quitting them. One of the main elements of this process was a search for solutions how to create an ideal environment to serve and support everyday life of Soviet working class.