Paper long abstract:

Garages in Bishkek represent another legacy of Soviet urban planning. In Soviet times, people did not leave their cars on the street. Usually, the territories were allocated to various garage cooperatives, where car owners installed their own metal garages. Less commonly, residents have built brick garages in their courtyards. Such courtyard garages and garage cooperatives were built throughout the cities of the entire Soviet Union. The city of Frunze alsi had many garages. In Soviet times, garages were not only a place to store cars, but also important places for socialization. Men came here to escape from their wives, to drink in the company of other motorists, to play cards, play nardy, or just chat. Often, garages became places for May-day parties and celebrations, to which neighbors brought food and baked goods; music was played and meat barbequed. This was possible because the garage owners were often neighbors, worked in the same enterprises, and, accordingly, knew each other quite well. Today this practice no longer exists. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many residents of Frunze left for Russia, selling apartments and garages at low costs to the internal migrants from the regions. Therefore, the social fabric that once united the neighbors came apart and garages now perform only their direct function. As the city expands and grows in height, garage areas become tidbits for developers, so garage owners are not sure how long they will be able to keep their garages. But while they are still here, the garages represent an important component of the city's morphological ensemble and an interesting part of material Soviet legacy.