The improvement of Yekaterinburg was discussed at INNOPROM

The residents of the city, participants in the educational program "How to create new Urban Projects", initiated by the Ural Builders Guild together with the Vector online school, chose objects of interest to explore, and for two months they explored the territory, identifying problem areas and finding ways to solve them. The program resulted in nine projects, five of which were presented at INNOPROM, and four more will be shown at the international high-rise and unique construction forum 100+Forum Russia in October this year. Visitors to the exhibition and members of the expert council took part in the discussion of the transformations.

Several people worked on each project. Sites of various purposes and significance for the city were chosen for the study: from Weiner Park, offering a complete renovation of this unkempt and "dreary" territory, according to researchers, to the oldest city cemetery. The area of interest also included a street in the city center, a city embankment and a courtyard in one of the city districts.

The groups, consisting of ordinary citizens, were able, according to Vera Belous, executive director of the Guild of Builders of the Urals, to present a comprehensive vision of a particular object. For example, the authors of the transformation of the unused and neglected area under the Makarovsky Bridge (one of the main transport arteries of the city), proposed a "hybrid concept" of creating a new multifunctional pedestrian zone with cultural and sports facilities. They also included the natural terrain in their project.

The idea of restoring the courtyard in the Uralmash area was called the "Noble Nest". It includes not only the landscaping of the surrounding area, but also the integration of the image of the White Tower, a masterpiece of constructivism located on Uralmash, into the stylistic design of the playground. 

The oldest urban cemetery, Ivanovskoye, founded in the early 19th century and occupying an area of 18.5 hectares, was proposed to be turned into a tourist attraction – it has the potential for this. It is here that the Russian writer Pavel Bazhov, famous architects in the Urals, public figures, artists, merchants and other personalities significant to the history of Yekaterinburg are buried. The authors of the idea proposed to hold a clean-up day on the territory of the cemetery, install urns, create a road and path network, think over lighting, and named the creation of a columbarium as one of the sources of funding. This project provoked the most emotional response from the members of the expert council, and the mayor of the city, Evgeny Roizman, called it serious and significant and promised to promote its implementation in practice. It should be noted that the Ivanovo cemetery is located in the immediate vicinity of the Central Stadium, where the 2018 FIFA World Cup games will be held.

Mikhail Vyatkin, member of the Expert Council: "This is a memorable place of the city and a reflection of its history – through the people who are buried here. This is one of the most interesting projects submitted for consideration, and the Ivanovo cemetery can be turned into a historical route."

A lot of comments followed on the idea of restoring a small park space – the "Weiner garden". Once there was a city dance floor, where the orchestra played and Leonid Utesov performed, but today it is just an unkempt square. According to the authors of the project, zoning is necessary here, which will be able to turn the territory into a full-fledged recreational space and restore its attractiveness to citizens. The Mayor of Yekaterinburg noted that the city administration already has a project to improve the park and suggested joining forces and finalizing the concept together.

Alexey Belyshev, member of the Expert Council: "All the projects are valuable because, firstly, they are an attempt by people of different professions to look at the city and make suggestions on how to make it better. This is a good practice when our citizens, both professionals and ordinary citizens, especially the young and caring, were rooting for the city, so each project is interesting, each will benefit the city."

The expert council includes: Yekaterinburg Mayor Evgeny Roizman, Head of the Architectural and Urban Planning Council Mikhail Vyatkin, Deputy Head of the Yekaterinburg City Administration for Capital Construction and Land Use Alexey Belyshev, Head of the Urban Environment Design Department - Chief Artist Dmitry Fogel, Acting Head of the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Regulation of Land Relations of the Yekaterinburg City Administration for Urban Development Sergey Kosenko, Executive Director of the Guild of Builders of the Urals Vera Belous.  

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Vector Online School of Urban Entrepreneurs is an online course with practical tasks created by Strelka Institute for those who want to start their own business, turn their hobbies into work and use the potential of their city to create a successful urban project. The school's courses focus on small business in Russia and the entrepreneurial mindset. http://vector.education/

Photo: Daria Postolnik