Such an unusual cooperation of regional officials with a St. Petersburg architectural publication is actually explained simply: the Pskov authorities are striving to get into the federal tourism development program, and the development of a high-quality urban development strategy is possible only if officials, architects and the public cooperate. Otherwise, and it was said about this more than once at the conference, "spatial development" can turn into a banal development of budgets and the city will have to forget about acquiring a new quality.
The conference was held in the format of presentations prepared by the participants invited by Project Baltia magazine. Thus, Liutauras Nyakrosius, associate professor of the Faculty of Architecture at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, using the example of Palanga, spoke about the architectural and urban processes inherent in the resort town. The Palanga seaside resort was formed in the middle of the 19th century, and its fundamental urban planning idea was the belief that nature should be the main attraction of the resort. The seashore is hidden from the city by a long curtain of trees, which creates a "natural" coastline, and the height of any construction is strictly regulated, so that no building should be higher than the forest. Today the city has 17,000 inhabitants and can accommodate up to 30,000 tourists, although up to 300,000 visitors come to Palanga on some weekends. According to Liutauras Nyakrosius, the city owes its success precisely to the fact that architects, authorities and local residents in Palanga managed to preserve the unique harmony of nature and buildings.
The example of Palanga for Russian construction practice is very instructive, since compliance with high-rise regulations is, frankly, not the strongest side of domestic developers. For example, in Pskov not so long ago a residential building grew up, spoiling the view of the Pokrovskaya Tower: now, if you look at the landmark from the opposite bank of the Velikaya River, a meaningless yellow something hangs over it. As one of the local architects said, the developer indicated in the project a ceiling height of 2.5 meters, and eventually realized 3.5 meters. And it would seem that all the culprits were caught red-handed, but no one was punished, and the panorama was hopelessly distorted.
Petersburg architect Mikhail Mamoshin spoke about the projects of the studio he headed and paid special attention in his speech to the interaction of the “old” and “new” in modern architecture. And Dmitry Melentiev from the "Vitruvius and Sons" bureau presented to the audience the project of the Olympic square in Sochi.
Vladimir Bessonov, chief architect of the Pskovgrazhdanproekt institute, in turn, spoke about the completed project, the Golden Embankment. This is a whole galaxy of harmonious three-storey houses, in which cafes, shops, offices are located on the ground floors, and residential apartments on the upper floors. The complex faces the Kremlin with a pedestrian embankment. According to the author, the concept of this project was based on the idea of restoring the historical typology of the place, the so-called. "Architecture of memory", and it was possible to realize it without offensive "increments" of meters.
It is noteworthy that the idea of the Pskov Ostozhenka appeared long before any prospects for federal funding. At the conference, in general, there was a lot of talk about the fact that the best projects from the urban planning and consumer point of view are the concepts that have had time to “lie down” for at least several years, since there is no need to rush to create a harmonious living environment. Inge Peebu and Keio Soomelt presented the project for the renovation of the central square of Rakvere, implemented in 2004, but adopted back in 1998. Vlada Smirnova spoke about the project of restoration of the Motley Ryad quarter by architect Sharun in Chernyakhovsk, also started more than ten years ago. All these undertakings are disinterested, not associated with a one-day conjuncture and were born out of love and attention to the place - according to the author, it is they who ultimately turn out to be successful.
Will it be possible to turn Pskov into a tourist center and will federal funds not spoil the ancient city? In any case, a comprehensive renovation of the city is just around the corner, and the fact that its prospects are now being discussed by international experts inspires some optimism. It remains to be hoped that the Pskov authorities will maintain such a constructive attitude until the end of the federal program.
