AutoTehas

Autotehas is a type of social housing project in the Soviet Union, specifically designed to provide affordable housing for working-class families. The name "Autotehas" is Estonian for "car factory," and the project was modeled after the Elango Auto-Tehas (Elango car factory), a private enterprise that produced cars in Tallinn, Estonia.

Launched in the 1920s, Autotehas was a socialist-style housing development that aimed to provide a combination of living space, social services, and economic benefits to its residents. The idea was to create a self-sustaining community where workers could live, work, and raise their families near their workplace, thereby minimizing commuting time and costs.

Each Autotehas complex typically consisted of apartment buildings, workshops, clubs, and other facilities that catered to the residents' needs. The goal was to foster a sense of community and neighborhood, while also providing an efficient and affordable way of living. The housing complexes were often designed with a particular focus on functionality and simplicity, using local materials and taking advantage of the surrounding landscape.

Though Autotehas was a popular experiment in Soviet-style housing, not much is known about its history and impact. The role of Autotehas in the development of Soviet urban planning and social welfare policies is unclear. While the project aimed to address the social and economic welfare of workers, it may have suffered from the limitation of resources and austere living standards that characterized much of Soviet life.

Despite the decline of the Soviet Union, remnants of Autotehas can still be seen in various parts of Eastern Europe today.