China
12:57, 26-Jul-2017
One-tenth of Muscovites may move out of Soviet-era apartment buildings
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Moscow plans to move almost one-tenth of its population out of run-down apartment buildings earmarked for demolition. Under an ambitious 50 billion dollar renovation program, those affected will be provided with brand new accommodation. For some people this comes as a welcome move, but some others are unwilling to relocate.
Valentina Danilova has lived in this flat since 1990. She has many fond memories of when her family used to get together here but she may be forced to move.
“I like this flat very much. I like its high ceiling, good windows, large window sills, I can put a lot of plants there. I have a big kitchen, bathroom, large hall. The main room is big too. It's very comfortable for living,” she said.
Under the program, the authorities plan to re-settle over 1 million residents from dilapidated Soviet-era apartment blocks, which they plan to demolish, and then build modern high-rise flats.
On July 1 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the renovation plans and Moscow's city hall began showcasing their alternative accommodation blueprints.
Anatoly and Zinayda went to see what their new homes would look like and said, “the kitchen is bigger, the bathroom is separate, the hall is bigger. Overall, this new flat is bigger than our current flat. In old flats, two people can barely fit into a kitchen, it's so small. Of course, it's better.”
While many affected people have welcomed the renovation program, others are voicing concerns that the government will build huge housing estates instead of comfortable neighbourhoods and re-settle people far away from their current locations. Thousands of Muscovites have held protests saying they do not want to move unless they have guarantees about where they will be resettled.
5805km