The Internet community this week is actively discussing the removal of St. Petersburg from the agenda of the 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. For example, the blogger alert_dog says: "I consider this attitude of the Committee members shameless and criminal in relation to the city - a World Heritage Site, where thousands of houses of historical terraced buildings are under threat, where the state does not care about preserving the historical architectural appearance of St. Petersburg." It is noteworthy that on the very first day of the UNESCO session in St. Petersburg, they continue to demolish the historical buildings of the Life Guards complex of the 1st Artillery Brigade.
The public movement "Arhnadzor" writes about Russia's violations of UNESCO rules. We are talking about the reconstruction of the 14th building of the Kremlin and the construction of an economic block on its territory, as well as about the reconstruction of a temple near the Novodevichy Convent, which was lost in 1812. In both cases, Russia did not notify the Committee about the planned construction and did not coordinate the projects with international experts. "Arhnadzor" calls on the Russian government to revise projects on the territory of the Kremlin and refuse to recreate the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist on the Maiden's Field.
The blogger iterekhin talks about the project of the track in Moscow Shchukino, initiated by Dmitry Medvedev. The route will "capture" the existing streets, sidewalks, lawns, and in some sections it will pass seven meters from residential buildings. In addition, it is planned to demolish buildings, in particular, the shopping center "Darya" and the passage "Oktyabrskoye Pole". And opposite the house 14 on Marshal Biryuzov Street, the roadway will be given a "green" area with trees, benches and a fountain. The expansion of the road will also lead to a change in the routes of public transport, turning to Sokol from Marshal Biryuzov Street. Buses will have to make an almost kilometer detour before turning in front of Vessarina street. It is planned to build the track in the next two years. More details about the project can be found on the site of the Shchukino district.
And in the very center of Moscow, sidewalks have already been given for parking, writes blogger and photographer Ilya Varlamov. For example, in some parts of the Garden Ring pedestrians are given only 30 cm. The blogger and his like-minded people are conducting research on Tverskaya Street in the framework of the City Projects, during which they plan to prove the infringement of the rights of pedestrians. Then he is going to demand from the mayor's office to return the sidewalks to people. The activities of urban bloggers this week were commented on by city planner Alexander Antonov and architect Alexander Lozhkin. Antonov believes that their projects are PR, but nevertheless the trend of urban “improvement” will continue to develop, while real projects will be implemented. Lozhkin says that the era of “non-professionals” has come, the “professionals” with their 80-year-old ideas should only blame themselves.
Human rights activist Denis Galitsky in his blog discusses what the city planning council should be like in Perm. He believes that the council can consider projects of buildings that are being built for budget money and on municipal land, as well as planning projects for city territories (land surveying projects) and projects initiated by developers. The blogger is sure that such a council should consist not only of professionals (architects and builders), but also representatives of other professions.
darwa on the eve of the impending demolition of three blocks on Ligovka in St. Petersburg posted photos of the "condemned" houses on her blog. Demolition, albeit not so massive, is also planned in Astrakhan. There, local authorities are going to destroy a cultural monument of the early 19th century - the former building of a technical school of light industry. And the Zvenigorod branch of VOOPIK is concerned about the planned commercial development in the most ancient part of the city - Malinovy ravine, the blog "Architectural heritage" reports. Representatives of VOOPIK are confident that the construction will finally destroy the panorama of Zvenigorod that has been taking shape for centuries and its unique cultural landscape. They sent a protest appeal to the Moscow Region authorities and the Russian Ministry of Culture. In the blog "Architectural Heritage" you can also learn about the planned relocation of a historic wooden building in Penza and about one of the most complete and well-preserved urban ensembles in Kostroma - Chaikovskogo Street.
In Yekaterinburg, a new site was found for a cemetery of demolished monuments, opened in the city center in May this year. Now it will be located in Kharitonovsky Park, says Oleg Bukin, chairman of the regional branch of VOOPIK. The need to move the exhibition is related to the decision of the city authorities.
The Village portal tells about the most comfortable cities in the world in 2011 according to the research agency The Economist Intelligence Unit - Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver. Residents of these cities share their impressions of the atmosphere and infrastructure.
