- New alliances
More than 60% of people in Riga live in microrayons (mass housing areas built between 1950 and 1990). On the single household grid, a layer of block housing grid was applied and after the fall of Soviet Union, overnight, the land and apartment ownership went from state to private. Devastated by economic catastrophe and challenged by social and cultural cracks within the society new homeowners were not only lacking resources, but also just unable to cooperate. Today, rapid degradation of these areas, both spatially and socially is striking, yet they still remain the most densely populated areas of the post-soviet world (50 million units worldwide). We imagine to fulfil the unfinished modernist dream of living machine and re-open the roofscape. This will challenge the existing esthetique practices, construct identity of these non-places, bring economic models, and generate the lost sense of community.
Difficult land ownership in microrayons - clear ownership of the roof.
Public space for community of house inhabitants - more secure option in terms of vandalism.
Very often there is an existing infrastructure, that takes one up to the roof. In other cases there should be an intervention in the stairwell - making the fire stairs more accessable. People sharing a stairwell would be able to choose whether to go public or not.
New identity for mass housing - lets give it an extra value, make it an alternative attraction for locals and travellers.
Riga is one of the rare capitals of Europe with declining population and extremely ageing population. This would attract young people to stay in the country - its the only affordable housing left, let's make it appealing. As for the existing elderly inhabitants - safe communal space for activities is a scarcity in the area.
