The large-scale renovation program in the Russian capital caused a wide wave of discussion at various levels - from ordinary citizens to large public organizations. The desire of the Moscow administration to improve the lives of owners of dilapidated apartments was not so clear. During the discussion, many weaknesses of the program were identified, however, in general, the proposal was met with approval. At the same time, many residents still have questions regarding whether the nine-story buildings in Moscow will be demolished and which houses can be included in the program.
Non-mass demolitions of nine-story buildings
Demolition of buildings in various forms exists outside of special housing renovation programs. The standard form of demolition of nine-story buildings provides for the analysis of the building, technical expertise and subsequent decision-making on the future of the facility. This may be the preservation of the house in its current form, reconstruction, repair or demolition. The latter decision is often made after the issuance of a judicial act, which is based on a technical opinion on the condition of the building. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether the nine-story buildings will be demolished in Moscow will be generally positive, since shabby houses are regularly identified. As a rule, these are buildings 40-50 years old, the designs and communications of which are no longer amenable to restoration. The reason for the demolition, or rather, to initiate a technical examination, is usually the appeal of residents of old houses in need of resettlement.
Demolition as part of the development strategy until 2025
For several years now, the urban development plan for Moscow has been implemented, designed for a period of up to 2025. The concept of the plan involves the demolition of high-rise buildings, including not only nine-story buildings, but also twelve-story houses. To date, the plan has been slightly adjusted and provides for the selective demolition of dilapidated high-rise buildings and individual modifications. For example, some buildings of the II-18 series are subject to demolition, but it is planned to leave houses II-49. Whether nine-story single-story buildings will be demolished in Moscow is also a controversial issue, as other signs will be taken into account in the decision. Even belonging to a specific modification and period of construction is not an accurate qualification sign in terms of demolition. Nevertheless, the general trend is towards the relocation of people from small and medium-rise buildings to high-rise buildings. In this context, even nine-story buildings are not considered as the optimal format for a residential building in the capital, since relocation is planned in fifteen-story buildings. Against this background, the renovation program is all the more obvious.
Nine-story buildings in the renovation program
Most of the houses included in the renovation program are five-story buildings. But not only these houses will be demolished. The Khrushchev’s also includes nine-story buildings. Another thing is that not all objects from both categories will eventually be resettled. If we talk about the signs, then in this case we are talking about the same technical condition of the houses. Therefore, the question as to whether the nine-story panel buildings in Moscow will be demolished as part of a renovation project will be determined after a technical analysis of the condition of the house. But there is another aspect. Not all buildings that are included in the program are in critical condition, unsafe for residents. According to the authorities, their task in the renovation program is not to demolish all the damaged houses, but to take care of tenants in advance, whose houses may become emergency in the coming years. Therefore, at this stage, the question of the demolition of nine-story buildings as part of the renovation will be decided by a vote of the residents themselves.
What houses will be demolished?
At the moment, a list with houses to be demolished has not yet been formed. Moreover, even the demolition dates are not approved. According to the mayor of the capital, the renovation program is designed for 15 years, therefore, even in the dilapidated nine-story buildings, residents can remain quite a long time. At the same time, the list of objects for demolition is replenished with houses that will already definitely be in the project. Most of them are still five-story buildings, but there are many high-rise buildings. It is only known that a significant part of the target buildings is located in the middle of the city, close to the Moscow Ring Road. This is especially true of the north and northeast. There are also whole areas that will not be affected. For example, the question of whether the nine-story buildings in Moscow near the Skhodnenskaya metro will be demolished, at the moment, suggests a negative answer. Perhaps in the future, residents of individual houses will express their desire to settle, but so far there are many areas in which it is planned to demolish only five- and three-story houses.
Can I refuse to relocate?
In the case of demolition of an emergency building, the owner of the apartment may try to challenge this decision in court. However, most often after the first decision, people agree to update their living conditions. Not to mention the fact that in most cases they themselves are the initiators. The situation is more complicated in cases with software projects - will the nine-story buildings in Moscow be demolished if the apartment owners do not want it? Under the law on the same renovation, a house cannot be entered into the program if a third of the owners voted against resettlement. In other cases, the demolition decision will be approved even regardless of the minority opinion. As compensation, the authors of the program promise that, without exception, all tenants of demolished houses will receive no less worthy real estate.
What awaits residents of demolished houses?
As already mentioned, each owner of an apartment in a demolished house has the right to receive at least a similar cost of living space. But there are nuances. Firstly, with a high degree of probability, even tenants of nine-story buildings will be relocated to higher buildings - twelve- or fifteen-story. This is a definite minus, and not the only one. Secondly, resettlement will be carried out in remote areas, with rare exceptions. Whether the nine-story building will be demolished in Moscow outside the center, in the Central Administrative District or Zelenograd does not matter, because at the moment there are no clear rules guaranteeing the binding of new housing to the place of former residence. On the other hand, the administration assures that all new houses and apartments will be executed at a higher quality modern level, will receive developed infrastructure and attractive architectural design.
Block and panel houses - is there a difference?
Both panel and block houses in the program documents on demolition are most often put on the same line as potentially emergency. This is especially true for panel buildings, which are directly mentioned in the renovation project. Whether the nine-story block buildings will be demolished in Moscow is not so obvious, but if there are signs of deterioration, residents of such objects may well apply to the city hall with a corresponding statement.
Conclusion
Renovation of the housing stock through the demolition of old houses and the construction of new ones is a common practice, which is ongoing. Today, more large-scale processes are observed in the capital, the purpose of which is to massively improve housing conditions. Nevertheless, there are opponents of such programs that evaluate their homes as livable for many years to come. In this sense, the question of whether brick nine-story buildings will be demolished in Moscow is relevant. Such houses are considered more durable and only in rare cases are included in the demolition lists due to the fatigue of the supporting structures. Therefore, residents interested in preserving the brick house can protect it without much difficulty, speaking out against demolition. This is possible in the case of not only nine-story buildings, but also Stalin's five-story houses.