Editing Bishkek (section)

=== Housing ===
As with many cities in post-Soviet states, housing in Bishkek has undergone extensive changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union. While housing was formerly distributed to citizens in the Soviet era, housing in Bishkek has since become privatised.

Though single-family houses are slowly becoming more popular, the majority of the residents live in Soviet-era apartments. Despite the Kyrgyz economy experiencing growth, increases in available housing have been slow with very little new construction and a doubling of prices from 2001 to 2002.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roseman |first=Gary |title=The Residential Real Estate Market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |journal=Real Estate Issues |volume=Summer 2004}}</ref> This changed by the 2010s when an unprecedented housing boom has transformed the city. By 2021, over 246 construction firms were active in Kyrgyzstan, primarily focusing on upscale residences, often marketed as 'business class' or 'premium class' accommodations.<ref name=":0" /> The southern part of the city, where a significant portion of new constructions is concentrated, faces a critical concern due to its proximity to the Issyk-Ata fault line.<ref name=":0" /> Compounded by the inadequately seismic-proof architecture of most of these buildings, this situation poses a serious threat to the safety of residents and has sparked criticism.<ref name="Leupold 1194–1221"/> Limited land availability propels private developers to encroach into socialist-era residential zones, resulting in the loss of green spaces and vital social infrastructure, including sports fields and playgrounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leupold |first=David |date=2023-08-09 |title=Skyrise, Smog and Seismic Menace. In the El Dorado of Bishkek's Elite Housing |journal=Europe-Asia Studies |language=en |volume=75 |issue=7 |pages=1213–14 |doi=10.1080/09668136.2023.2185203 |issn=0966-8136|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Those unable to afford the high housing price within Bishkek, notably internal migrants from rural villages and small provincial towns, often have to resort to informal [[Squatting in Kyrgyzstan|squatter settlements]] on the city's outskirts such as Ak Jar, Ak Jol, Ak Örgö, Altyn Kazyk, Archa Beshik, Kalys-Ordo, Kayndy-2, Kelechek, Muras-Ordo and TETS-2 Yntymak.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isabaeva |first=Eliza |date=2013 |title=Migration into the "Illegality" and Coping with Difficulties in a Squatter Settlement in Bishkek |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24364951 |journal=Zeitschrift für Ethnologie |volume=138 |issue=2 |pages=139–154 |jstor=24364951 |issn=0044-2666}}</ref> These urban settlements are estimated to house 400,000 people or about 30 percent of Bishkek's population. While many of the settlements have lacked basic necessities such as electricity and running water, recently, the local government has pushed to provide these services.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isabaeva |first=Eliza |year=2013 |title=Migration into the "Illegality" and Coping with Difficulties in a Squatter Settlement in Bishkek |journal=Zeitschrift für Ethnologie |volume=138}}</ref>