The National School of Young Planners, a training project organized by RUPA (NP "Association of Planners") and ISOCARP (International Society of Urban and Regional Planners), worked in Ulyanovsk from 7 to 12 July. The school gathered young Russian urban planners for the second time, for the first time it happened in June 2012 in the town of Pushchino near Moscow. The work was supervised by ISOCARP Vice President Piotr Lorens and two tutors: Gijsbrecht Wolfs and Agatino Rizzo.
Dmitry Narinsky, head of the coordinating committee of the Association of Planners, shared with us his thoughts on the tasks of the new training project and how the formation of a new profession will help solve the problems of Russian cities.
- To begin with, I would like to ask: what is the situation in modern Russia with urban planning? Why is this so important?
- In recent years, the basic principles of urban planning in Russia have changed dramatically. The changes taking place in society require the modernization of urban planning policy. And it should be carried out at the federal, regional, and even local levels.
What has already been done to solve these problems?
- Our association (RUPA - ed.) In 2011 signed a long-term cooperation agreement with the International Society of Urban and Regional Planners ISOCARP. Its purpose is to acquaint Russian specialists with international experience and methodology of territorial planning.
The Young Planning Professionals National Workshop that worked this summer in Ulnovsk is the result of cooperation between RUPA, ISOCARP and the regional administration, which is now doing a lot to develop urban planning practice in Russia and deepen international contacts in this area. The school was attended by two foreign experts from ISOCARP.
- Why is it important to attract international specialists?
- Urban planning as a field of activity in modern Russia has always been related to architecture and construction as a certain component of them, that is, in general, a dependent element. And all over the world this activity has long been formed into an independent one and is called planning. The lack of institutionalization of the planning profession in Russia seriously hinders the development of our cities, and today one of the main tasks is the formation of a new profession aimed at creating a favorable living environment. In this regard, the attraction of international experience is especially important.
What are the results of the work of the National School of Young Planners in Ulyanovsk?
- Particular attention was paid to urban design issues. The participants demonstrated that they can combine the solution of the issues of functional zoning of the territory and spatial-compositional tasks for which the Russian school was famous in the Soviet period. In the course of working with ISOCARP tutors, it became clear that these issues, lost in Russian realities, are relevant for the modern process of urban planning, at least in Europe for sure.
So what do you think is necessary for modern urban planning in Russia?
- I'll start from afar. Modern Russian legislation very rigidly describes the types of urban planning documentation, its typology and content. But this palette lacks issues of spatial and compositional solutions in city planning. Indeed, the list of mandatory components of territorial planning includes functional zoning, objects of local and regional significance (including engineering, transport and social infrastructure), and the boundaries of settlements. But all this taken together does not give final decisions on the creation of a common vision for the development of the city (vision in English). Their solution lies in the area designated by the term urban design.
It is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on what urban design is
- Here we are faced with a serious terminological problem. In world practice, urban planning includes various types of activities, including urban design. It can be literally translated into Russian as "urban design", but such a translation is not at all equivalent to the original meaning of the term.
The phrase "urban design" in Russian realities is just the design of the urban environment, small architectural forms. In English, the term is much broader and implies elements of urban planning, associated not with functional and engineering solutions, but with making decisions of artistic and compositional quality. In other words, this is the creative component that has almost disappeared in the current legislation. The emphasis is on utilitarian functions, and the composition and artistic aspect are simply lost when placing an order and drawing up technical assignments from the municipality. And the results do not please customers, which, in general, is predictable. This gave rise to the tendency to invite foreigners to develop a master plan as an integration element that combines both functional zoning and compositional tasks. Accordingly, there is a need to develop the profession of a planner in Russia, to revive the experience of the domestic school in the field of compositional solutions, in other words, to turn closely to the issues of urban design in the context of Russian realities.
“But back to the National School for Young Planners. I would like to hear more about its results and achievements.
- The result of YPPN 2013 is four visions of Ulyanovsk and, accordingly, four scenarios for its development. Four teams of participants presented their projects on the following topics: OneCITY - Creative city, TwinCITY - Self sufficient city, NetworkCITY - multichoice city, RiverCITY - Landscaped city city on the river). All concepts were reflected in the final presentation, which has already been posted on the website of the Association of Planners NP.
This joint work of 20 young professionals from 15 cities from Omsk to St. Petersburg with international tutors will be presented at the ISOCARP congress in Brisbane (Australia) this year, where two of the four winners - Anna Vladimirova (Ulyanovsk) and Evgenia Kolesova (St. Petersburg).
And let some decisions of young specialists seem controversial, but the School - YPPN 2013 showed a great potential for the development of Ulyanovsk and a significant fan of opportunities. We look forward to continued effective cooperation.
On behalf of all the participants in our program, I would like to thank the leadership of the Ulyanovsk region and personally the governor - Sergei Ivanovich Morozov for the opportunity to further develop the national urban planning school.
