The Communist age is now history. But all across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, more than 170 million people continue to live in the soulless, decaying housing complexes that are among the most enduring legacies from that time. These concrete mazes, relics of an era when architecture was at the service of ideology, never matched the state's promises.

The increased demand for urban housing in the late sixties, seventies, and early eighties, was largely attributable to the increasing industrialisation of city economies and the planned reduction in the rural workforce. In their haste to accommodate the influx of workers, Communist regimes began to construct vast estates of largely identical high rise flats, the majority of which were made from prefabricated concrete slabs and panels. While it is possible to discuss the aesthetic pitfalls of such designs and their effects on the social and psychological health of the communities, it is clear that now, some 30 years on from their construction, we must begin to tackle the problems of their physical integrity and safety.

The economic liberalisation and the process of repatriation of property from state to the individual that has followed the collapse of the Iron Curtain, have combined to compound the problems created by poor construction standards. Today, there is very little money within the region, neither public nor private, for investment in the housing sector. Little or no preventative maintenance is carried out and repairs tend to be done on an emergency basis only. This combination of factors, coupled to the extreme climatic conditions, which have a heavy impact on the building materials, means that there is a rising crisis in urban housing in this part of Europe, and that action and more importantly investment will be needed quickly.

This pending crisis manifests itself through a …