Editing Tower block (section)

===Europe===
{{see also|Panelák|Plattenbau}}

====Central and Eastern Europe====
[[File:Endla street Tallinn.jpg|thumb|Refurbished 5-story [[Khrushchyovka]], in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]]]
[[File:Jahodová od Pražské.jpg|thumb|Painted [[panelák]]s in [[Prague, Czech Republic]]]]
[[File:Osiedle Skocznia Warsaw 2022 aerial.jpg|thumb|right|Osiedle Skocznia in [[Warsaw]], Poland]]
[[File:Bloc P10, Bucharest.jpg|thumb|Renovated apartment building from 1963 in [[Bucharest, Romania]]. With the 2010s, renovation of older apartment buildings in Eastern Europe has become common, especially in countries which get [[Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund|EU funds]].]]

Although some [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]]an countries during the [[interwar period]], such as the [[Second Polish Republic]], already started building housing estates that were considered to be of a high standard for their time, many of these structures perished during the Second World War.

In the [[Eastern Bloc]], tower blocks were constructed in great numbers to produce plenty of cheap accommodation for the growing postwar populations of the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] and [[Soviet Empire#The Soviet Union and its satellite states|its satellite states]]. This took place mostly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, though in the [[People's Republic of Poland]] this process started [[Three-Year Plan|even earlier]] due to the severe damages that Polish cities sustained during World War II. Throughout the former Eastern Bloc countries, tower blocks built during the Soviet years make up much of the current housing estates and most of them were built in the specific [[Socialist realism|socialist realist]] style of architecture that was dominant in the territories east of the [[Iron Curtain]]: blocky buildings of that era are colloquially known as [[Khrushchyovka]]. However, there were also larger and more ambitious projects built in Eastern Europe at the time, which have since become recognisable examples of post-war [[Modernist architecture|modernism]]; such as the largest ''[[falowiec]]'' building in the [[Przymorze Wielkie]] district of [[Gdańsk]], with a length of {{convert|860|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} and 1,792 flats, it is the second longest housing block in Europe.<ref name="zupgra">{{cite book|last1=Sobecka|first1=Martyna|last2=Navarro|first2=David|date=2020|title=Brutal Poland|location=[[Poznań]]|publisher=Zupagrafika|isbn=9788395057472}}</ref>

In [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]], the mass construction of standardised housing blocks began in the 1950s and 1960s with the outskirts of the cities, some of which were made up of slums.<ref name="Elleh2014">{{cite book|first = Nnamdi | last = Elleh|title=Reading the Architecture of the Underprivileged Classes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nyzjBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA212|date=28 November 2014|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-6786-1|pages=212–}}</ref> Construction continued in the 1970s and 1980s, under the [[Systematization (Romania)|systematisation]] programme of [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]], which consisted largely of the demolition and reconstruction of existing villages, towns, and cities, in whole or in part, in order to build blocks of flats (''blocuri''), as a result of increasing urbanisation following an accelerated industrialisation process.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313679886 |title= Dezvoltarea urbană și ariile metropolitane |trans-title=The urban development and metropolitan areas |last1=Mitrica |first1=Bianca |last2=Grigorescu |first2=Ines |last3=Urucu |first3=Veselina |year=2016 |publisher= Editura Academiei Române |isbn=978-973-27-2695-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historia.ro/sectiune/general/articol/urbanizarea-in-romania-secolului-xx-interbelic-vs-comunism |title= Urbanizarea în România secolului XX: interbelic vs comunism |trans-title=Urbanization in the 20th century Romania: interwar period vs communist period |first=Ionel-Claudiu | last = Dumitrescu |website=historia.ro}}</ref> In [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]] (now the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]]), [[panelák]] building under [[Marxism–Leninism]] resulted from two main factors: the postwar housing shortage and the ideology of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|ruling party]].

In Eastern European countries, opinions about these buildings vary greatly, with some deeming them as eyesores on their city's landscape while others glorify them as relics of a bygone age and historical examples of unique architectural styles (such as socialist realism, [[brutalism]], etc.).<ref name="zupgra" /> Since the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], and especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of the former Eastern Bloc countries have begun construction of new, more expensive and modern housing. The [[Śródmieście, Warsaw|Śródmieście]] borough of [[Warsaw]], the capital of Poland, has seen the development of an array of skyscrapers. Russia is also currently undergoing a dramatic buildout, growing a commercially shaped skyline. Moreover, the ongoing changes made to postwar housing estates since the 2000s in former communist countries vary – ranging from simply applying a new coat of paint to the previously grey exterior to thorough modernisation of entire buildings.<ref name="zupgra" />

In the [[European Union]], among former [[Warsaw Pact]] states, a majority of the population lives in flats in Latvia (64.4%), Estonia (60.6%), Lithuania (59.5%), the Czech Republic (50.9%), Bulgaria (46.7%) and Slovakia (45.3%) ({{As of|2024|lc=y}}, data from [[Eurostat]]).<ref>see section Source data for tables and figures, Housing statistics: tables and figures [https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_lvho01__custom_12697868/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkId=f02b1ce6-d1ab-4138-ac5a-de96fb4b0224]</ref> However, not all flat dwellers in Eastern Europe live in Cold War-era blocks of flats; many live in buildings constructed after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and some in buildings that survived World War II.

====Western Europe====
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2020}}

In Western Europe, there are fewer high-rise buildings because of the historic city centres. In the 1960s, developers began demolishing older buildings to replace them with modern high-rise buildings.

In [[Brussels]] there are numerous modern high-rise buildings in the [[Northern Quarter (Brussels)|Northern Quarter]] business district. The government of Belgium wants to recreate [[Washington, D.C.]], on a small scale.

=====France=====
{{wide image|Panorama_La_Défense.jpg|900px|[[La Défense]] at night}}
There are some tall residential buildings in ''La Défense'' district, such as [[Tour Défense 2000]], even though the district is mainly "commercial". This allows the residents to walk to the nearby office buildings without using vehicles.

=====Great Britain=====
{{main|Tower blocks in Great Britain}}
[[File:Argylebuilding.jpg|thumb|[[Argyle Building, Glasgow|Argyle Building]] in [[Glasgow]]]]

Tower blocks were first built in the United Kingdom after the [[World War II|Second World War]], and were seen as a cheap way to replace 19th-century urban slums and war-damaged buildings. They were originally seen as desirable, but quickly fell out of favour as tower blocks attracted rising crime and social disorder, particularly after the collapse of [[Ronan Point]] in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/heritage/ronan-point |title=Ronan Point |work=The Open University |access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref>

Although Tower blocks are controversial and numerous examples have been demolished, many still remain in large cities. Due to lack of proper regulation, some tower blocks present a significant fire risk and even though there have been efforts to make them more safe,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/building-control-news/unsafe-cladding-removal-works-still-incomplete-on-over-300-high-rise-buildings-in-manchester-and-london/115651/ | title=Unsafe cladding removal works still incomplete on over 300 high-rise buildings in Manchester and London | date=16 September 2022 }}</ref> modern safety precautions can be prohibitively expensive to retrofit. The [[Grenfell Tower fire|Grenfell Tower]] fire in 2017 was partly caused by council ignorance, as a local action group complained to the council about the fire hazards of the tower several years before the incident, yet remedial work had not been carried out.<ref name="guardiansafety">{{cite news|last1=Wahlquist|first1=Calla|title=Fire safety concerns raised by Grenfell Tower residents in 2012|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/14/fire-safety-concerns-raised-by-grenfell-tower-residents-in-2012|access-date=14 June 2017|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=14 June 2017}}</ref> This fire further made tower blocks less desirable to British residents.

There are old high-rise buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s in areas of [[London]] such as [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]], [[London Borough of Newham|Newham]], [[Hackney, London|Hackney]], and virtually any area in London with [[Council house|council housing]]. Some new high-rises are being built in areas such as [[Central London]], [[Southwark]], and [[Nine Elms]]. In east London, some old high-rises are being gentrified, in addition to new high-rises being built in areas such as [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] and [[Canary Wharf]].{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

=====Ireland=====
[[File:Capital Dock, Dublin Docklands, June 2021.jpg|thumb|right|[[Capital Dock]], 22-story "mixed use" building in [[Dublin]], Ireland]]

; Republic of Ireland

The majority of residential high-rise buildings in the Republic of Ireland were concentrated in the suburb of [[Ballymun]], [[Dublin]]. The [[Ballymun Flats]] were built between 1966 and 1969: seven 15-story towers, nineteen 8-story blocks and ten 4-story blocks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Demolition of famous Dublin tower block |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0313/ballymun.html |publisher=RTÉ News |date=13 March 2005 |access-date=19 May 2010 }}</ref> These were the "seven towers" referred to in the [[U2]] song "Running to Stand Still".{{cn|date=October 2024}} They have since been demolished. 

Inner Dublin flat complexes, typically of four to five storeys include Sheriff Street (demolished), [[Fatima Mansions (housing)|Fatima Mansions]] (demolished and redeveloped), St Joseph's Gardens (demolished; replaced by Killarney Court flat complex), St Teresa's Gardens, Dolphin House, Liberty House, St Michael's Estate (eight storeys) and O'Devaney Gardens and a lot more mainly throughout the north and south inner city of Dublin. Suburban flat complexes were built exclusively on the northside of the city in [[Ballymun]], [[Coolock]] and [[Kilbarrack]]. These flats were badly affected by a heroin epidemic that hit working-class areas of Dublin in the 1980s and early 1990s.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Residential tower blocks were previously uncommon outside of Dublin, but during the era of the [[Celtic Tiger]] the largest cities such as Dublin, [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Limerick]] and [[Galway]] witnessed new large apartment building, although their heights have generally been restricted. Some large towns such as [[Navan]], [[Drogheda]], [[Dundalk]] and [[Mullingar]] have also witnessed the construction of many modern apartment blocks.

; Northern Ireland

Tower blocks in Northern Ireland were never built to the frequency as in cities on the island of [[Great Britain]], but taller high-rises are generally more common than in the Republic of Ireland. Most tower blocks and flat complexes are found in [[Belfast]], although many of these have been demolished since the 1990s and replaced with traditional [[Social housing|public housing units]]. The mid-rise Divis flats complex in west Belfast was built between 1968 and 1972. It was demolished in the early 1990s after the residents demanded new houses due to mounting problems with their flats. [[Divis Tower]], built separately in 1966, still stands, however; and in 2007 work began to convert the former British Army base at the top two floors into new dwellings. Divis Tower was for several decades Ireland's tallest residential building, having since being surpassed by the privately owned [[Obel Tower]] in the city centre. In the north of the city, the iconic seven-tower complex in the [[New Lodge, Belfast|New Lodge]] remains, although so too the problems that residents face, such as poor piping and limited sanitation. Farther north, the four tower blocks in [[Rathcoole (Belfast)|Rathcoole]] dominate the local skyline, while in south Belfast, the tower blocks in Seymour Hill, Belvoir and [[Finaghy]] remain standing.

Most of the aforementioned high-rise flats in the city were built by the [[Northern Ireland Housing Trust]] (NIHT) as part of overspill housing schemes, the first such development being the pair of point blocks in East Belfast's [[Cregagh]] estate. These eleven-story towers were completed in 1961 and were the first tall council housing blocks on the island of Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Glendinning|first1=Miles|last2=Muthesius|first2=Stefan|year=1994|title=Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland|publisher=Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art|isbn=9780300054446|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWuBQgAACAAJ|page=288}}</ref> The NIHT also designed the inner city Divis Flats complex. The six-to-eight-storey deck-access flats that comprised most of the Divis estate were of poor build quality and were all demolished by the early 1990s.{{sfnp|Glendinning|Muthesius|1994|page=367}} Similar slab blocks were built by the NIHT in East Belfast (Tullycarnet) and Derry's [[Bogside]] area, all four of which have been demolished.

[[Belfast Corporation]] constructed seven tower blocks on the former Victoria Barracks site in the New Lodge district. While the Corporation built some [[mid-rise]] flats as part of [[Slum clearance in the United Kingdom|slum clearance]] schemes (most notably the now demolished Unity Flats and the Weetabix Flats in the Shankill area), New Lodge was its only high-rise project in the inner city; there were three more in outlying areas of the city during the 1960s, two being in Mount Vernon in North Belfast and one being in the [[Clarawood]] estate, East Belfast. The [[Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast|Royal Hospital]] built three thirteen-story towers for use as staff accommodation, prominently located adjacent to the M2 Motorway at Broadway. Belfast City Hospital also constructed a high-rise slab block which since privatisation has been named Bradbury Court, formerly known as Erskine House. Queens University Belfast built several eleven storey towers at its Queens Elms student accommodation. Of the three sixteen-story point blocks of [[Larne]] Borough Council in the late 1960s, only one remains.<ref>Riverdale Flats, Larne (1) http://www.geograph.ie/photo/2313893</ref>