a question to non uk members

[dvtimes]

Around the 50's/60's time the uk built many soviet style housing, such as flats. These may have been ok, but with true soviet ways they were built cheap. as such they are now rotten, and being pulled down. in truth i suspect even ussr would have built better quality housing knowing that long term it was the logical solution.

It has been and still seems to be the logic to provide the cheapest possible buildings to the public. while short term it saves money, long term it costs more due to on going work. even a hospital in desbury that was built only a few years ago that i worked at, had a leaking roof due to cost cuts.

even this week i said they installed new street lights. these are cheap, and incredably ugly. traditional gray - repulsive. yet all over the uk you will see vulgar cheap gray junk, as thats all the public is worth. in fact i have seen some ussr buldings, such as the underground, and they are stunning. i presume that the logic in ussr was to provide quality in public.

so i ask, do other countries provide poor quality buildings. often ugly. are is it just something the uk does. for it seems that even after all these years, local polotitions still think its logical to provide the cheapest and ugliest things to the public, then get suprised when some kids spraypaint them.

to say gorden brown suposed to have made the uk so rich, we seem to get public buildings that i am sure people would regect in other less well off countries.

sorry, i just get rather depresed by the vandalism local authorites make of towns.

by the way, if you do not think that we had a period of soviet style living, check out clockwork orange without the sound. it looks like it was shot in ussr. and even as a child in the 70's i do remeber the uk very much resemberling sovieet russia.

[ApacheAnderson]

Not sure this is a UK wide problem.

In Cardiff any buildings, etc, that have been build for the public recently have been really well thought out and architecturally interesting and the council seem to be going to a fair amount of trouble tarting up (resurfacing road, replacing bus stops, replacing street lights) the old ex council estates. There's a fair way to go, but it does feel and look like they're making an effort. They've just assigned £1.5 millon to give a face lift to a row of shops in my estate which are quite run down.

Dunno about other places, but here I don't feel your argument wouldn't stand up here any more, though obviously we still have fall out from the post war 'build 'em cheap, build 'em from concrete' ethic.

Plus our rubbish collection just went from once a fortnight to once a week.. dunno what everyone is moaning about.

[ApacheAnderson]

If I lived in Slough however I'm sure I'd agree with you whole heartedly

[onlytease]

i have travelled a lot around eastern europe, and some of the housing in kiev, kharkov, budapest etc is really ugly so its not just a uk problem

[erots]

dunno. here in Estonia they definately don't build soviet style of houses anymore. they unfortunately don't demolish old ones though.. i suppose it is cheaper to fix them. flats are totally okey when you repair the roof and replace all the pipes and everything that is between the four walls and ceiling :)

[mOBSCENE]

Dunno, it's all million quid penthouses in Manchester now :)

[-HF]

Around the 50's/60's time the uk built many soviet style housing, such as flats. These may have been ok, but with true soviet ways they were built cheap. as such they are now rotten, and being pulled down. in truth i suspect even ussr would have built better quality housing knowing that long term it was the logical solution.

It has been and still seems to be the logic to provide the cheapest possible buildings to the public. while short term it saves money, long term it costs more due to on going work. even a hospital in desbury that was built only a few years ago that i worked at, had a leaking roof due to cost cuts.

even this week i said they installed new street lights. these are cheap, and incredably ugly. traditional gray - repulsive. yet all over the uk you will see vulgar cheap gray junk, as thats all the public is worth. in fact i have seen some ussr buldings, such as the underground, and they are stunning. i presume that the logic in ussr was to provide quality in public.

so i ask, do other countries provide poor quality buildings. often ugly. are is it just something the uk does. for it seems that even after all these years, local polotitions still think its logical to provide the cheapest and ugliest things to the public, then get suprised when some kids spraypaint them.

to say gorden brown suposed to have made the uk so rich, we seem to get public buildings that i am sure people would regect in other less well off countries.

sorry, i just get rather depresed by the vandalism local authorites make of towns.

by the way, if you do not think that we had a period of soviet style living, check out clockwork orange without the sound. it looks like it was shot in ussr. and even as a child in the 70's i do remeber the uk very much resemberling sovieet russia.

the USSR undergound you have seen is sposed to be nice, as it's in an area where many foreigners, tourists and business people, will come through and have to be impressed by it. once you travel to the places where the rubble lives, you will have dirt roads rather than tarmac ones and the houses are merely fancy huts.

of course you experience the same where you are, move south Dartford and your problem is solved.

also you have to adjust your point of view, the ongoing repairs and replacements are not a sign of bad quality but a try to offer enough jobs as council workers.