Housing of peasant migrants: evidence from the studies of sanitary and hygienic conditions of settlements in the steppe zone of the Omsk Irtysh Region (1890s–1920s)

This study aims to analyze housing development among peasant migrants residing in the steppe zone of the southern Omsk Region. The research is based on data from three medical expeditions conducted between the 1890s and 1920s, which were dedicated to assessing the sanitary and hygienic conditions of migrant settlements. The analysis shows that local natural resource constraints — particularly the scarcity of timber — exerted a deci-sive influence on the development of building culture among settlers during the period under review. Although the original building traditions of different migrant groups exhibited significant variation, they adopted similar construc-tion technologies in a new place. Among these construction techniques, layered earth construction predominated, while adobe construction was only beginning to gain adoption. The building practices of peasant migrants residing in the steppe zone of the southern Omsk Region relied primarily on traditional empirical knowledge and techno-logy. However, the study also identifies a gradual shift in state policy: there was a growing interest in rationalizing rural housing construction and introducing standardized approaches.