https://www.site/2017-09-07/urbanist_lev_vladov_o_tom_kak_sdelat_tak_chtoby_molodezh_ne_uezzhala_iz_chelyabinska

“No one told me to fuck off with your ideas…”

Urbanist Lev Vladov - on how to make sure that young people do not leave Chelyabinsk

In the Chelyabinsk media space appeared new hero: urbanist Lev Vladov makes a video blog about the urban environment, creates a mobile application for sending complaints to officials, and recently in literally took over public space. Now he paints transformer booths and boxes with telephone equipment and is going to create an informal association of caring citizens. the site talked to the activist about what needs to be changed in the city and how officials look at these ideas.

- Let's start over. You suddenly appeared on the information agenda of Chelyabinsk. Many people ask: where did you come from?

— I have lived in Chelyabinsk all my life, I graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering of SUSU. I started thinking about urban studies in my last years. I thought why we are so different from Moscow and St. Petersburg. We have factories, we have money, and cultural life is at an extremely low level. I saw that my friends do not connect their future with Chelyabinsk. For me it was sad. Why? They said that everything in Chelyabinsk is gray, there is no life, it's boring, it seems that everything is standing here and there are no prospects.

I realized that this is directly related to the urban environment. With how the city looks, how it is comfortable and how it functions. Starting with transport, ending with the police, housing and communal services, etc. A person’s state is not somewhere there, it begins when a person opens the door of his entrance.

At some point, I began to notice that on my page on the social network I was writing more and more about the problems of cities and their solutions. I decided to transfer all these records to a separate group. So I started the Chelyabinsk Urbanist blog. I saw that friends began to support, answer something, add comments. I saw a strong feedback from the townspeople and realized that it makes sense to invest your energy and time in this business.

- What's wrong with Chelyabinsk? Where do people get the thoughts you're talking about?

- It is really important to understand this: why everything is the way it is. Do not hate that everyone is stupid, that no one does anything and does not understand. Understand and check. I decided to ask specific questions to specific people. Why is the bus stop near my house always dirty? How to make it clean? This process has already begun, I got acquainted with the Public Chamber, now I am getting acquainted with the city administration. I see that people are adequate and they all approve of social activity very much.

And I also realized that many people do not really understand how the city should live and develop. For example, why parking in the center should be limited. We do not have a culture of car ownership and no understanding of how a high-quality urban environment and local business development are connected with limited parking in the center. But it turns out that pedestrians are more likely to spend money in the city, this gives impetus to small businesses. We have a short history of car ownership. They began to appear massively in people only in the 90s. We filled everything with them: yards, lawns, playgrounds. Everything was given to the machines. This process must reverse sooner or later. I know it will come. Look, even Moscow dug up Tverskaya, turned it into a pedestrian one. All of Europe has long banned private transport in the city center. I would like Chelyabinsk to come to this during my lifetime. good ideas always win.

Chelyabinsk is a beautiful city in terms of its planning. We are not constrained by the old architecture. We can safely make the streets so that there is enough space for a dedicated public transport line, a bike path, and a wide sidewalk. There will still be cars.

Chelyabinsk architect started filming a video blog about the urban environment

Now the urban environment is not conducive to public life. All people are closed, a street musician comes out to Kirovka, at least some kind of joy. But this is one Kirovka. And there should be many such places. If there is a lot of social activity, then people will not withdraw into themselves. They make acquaintances, make new friends, meet their love. In the meantime, we drive in our cars, as in aquariums - closed from a life full of communication.

The machine does not lead to happy life. It is comfort, but it is without emotion. Now I walk around the city a lot, meet many friends, communicate. You know, it's great, these random meetings. This makes me feel like a part of a large friendly society.

- And how to come to this?

— It is important that residents of the surrounding cities consider Chelyabinsk not as a transit base, but as a city in which they would like to live. The city is made by people, and if the best minds, the intelligentsia, the aristocracy, will be dumped from here, then we will remain a city of workers and peasants, a city of primitive interests and a low cultural life.

What I see now makes me happy, they give me the green light. No one said: Leo, fuck off with your ideas, no one needs you. Now I am working on a mobile application that will connect the active city community and the authorities. There is movement in the city, there are socially active people who want to change something, hold a community work day, etc. And I want to link this application with the administration so that various departments can see the messages that people send through it and respond to them . This project will be launched in the near future, there are guys who will help with the platform, I think that there are big changes ahead if we continue to hit one point.

You suddenly became a media person and a citywide expert. Aren't you afraid that you will have ill-wishers?

- The movement should have a face, a person who will be pointed at. I realized that I should become such a person, I understand that a lot of shit will fall on me. But, on the other hand, every day they write to me with gratitude, they say that they support me. The more our movement will do things, the more we will meet like-minded people.

I understand that I will have to take the path of struggle. For example, with advertising agencies that place terrible structures on the sidewalks, obscure the facades of buildings, etc. Our city is mired in this. The only suggestion to them is that the guys should abandon such formats.

The city that will be invested in is a beautiful city. A beautiful city not spoiled by advertising. This must be tightly regulated. They should not interfere with pedestrian infrastructure. We have examples on every street when an advertising structure on the sidewalk leaves bottleneck for the passage of pedestrians. I know that as soon as I start promoting these ideas, the owners of such businesses will start throwing mud at me. Well, I'm ready, someone has to start it.

- Everything that is in the city is influenced by officials. Did you manage to establish a dialogue with them?

“I looked around a little and realized that officials have a very difficult job. An official has a limited set of powers, and if they are slightly exceeded, he immediately becomes an administrative officer or even a criminal.

Officials have a clear KPI, and, for example, the head of the district cannot repair the road with regional money, because this is no longer his authority, or he cannot repair the sports ground, because it is located on the territory of another institution. There is money, but you can't spend it. These laws are killing me. The system is sick.

We see stops full of litter bins plastered with advertisements, illegal trade is arranged right at the stops. The system is sick and needs help. Therefore, I am gathering an active community of professionals. We will find and develop competent solutions and help our officials make them.

We all have the same idea, and the officials too - to make the city developing. No need to make plans until 2035, it's all fantastic. You have to do it right and quickly.

Suppose we have such a problem: mothers with strollers constantly stumble. Today, a brigade leaves and reconstructs it. This is done very quickly. There would be a desire, but people have it. The people themselves can help arrange everything. There is not enough budget for everything. There is very little money, a penny is allocated for the same cleaning of the streets. The trouble is that a lot of money goes to the federal budget. In order for them to return, we need to advertise our region as a region with a future and a region that is worthy of investment. And this should be done by deputies as well.

You can't find fault with Chelyabinsk, you have to show that there is a platform for development here. There are people here who will raise this city. We have a wonderful area. We need fresh eyes and fresh brains. We need a lot of young people. The modern generation lives by other ideals. The Soviet era was a period of shortage of everything. People had a gathering, people liked to clog garages with rubbish, to take it to the dacha. The youth don't need it. Young people live by emotions, they would rather travel than buy a house with a mortgage. Bright young people who could attract movement and investment to Chelyabinsk are leaving here for other cities. But, if we can give them a perspective here, things will start to change. And for that, they need to be given the right to vote. Give them the right to say what they want to see in the city and give them the tools to transform. And then we will see significant changes.

- In two years, municipal elections, will you go to them?

— I have no political tasks and ambitions, I do not see myself as an official. As soon as you get some kind of position, there is censorship. I want to be out of politics. I don't want to divide people into friends and enemies. I want to divide people into like-minded people and those who are not yet educated. If you want to make Chelyabinsk beautiful, then you are my friend, no matter what clan you are from. For me, this is the first such experience, I'll see how it all goes. In general, I believe that there are no human enemies, there is a system that is not configured correctly.

- And if you became an official and could change something in the city right now ...

“If I were in charge of the budget, the first thing I would do is make the sidewalks accessible. So that there are no steps or sides along the entire path of movement. So that mothers with wheelchairs, disabled people can move around without problems.

Need to develop public transport. This is the blood of the city. Now it is impossible to plan your route, because there is one and a half buses per hour. This needs to be urgently invested and put in order. We need modern trams, trolleybuses, buses. We must make all underground passages elevated so that people do not go underground. I tried to get a man in a wheelchair through the underpass and couldn't do it. It is a completely inaccessible environment. If there are no elevators, you need to remove the transitions. In Europe, all the crossings have already been buried. Even now it is possible to safely make an elevated crossing to Zwilinga. To cross this street, you need to go through two crossings. Although the cars are already on the “red”, this can be done without the subway. But you go out onto the highway, and there is a pedestrian crossing through six lanes without lighting. This is wildness. Then, we make bike paths, we can organize them for free, because the roads are very wide.

There will be fewer cars, it will be easier for us to breathe in the city, most of the emissions are car exhausts, in addition, they raise dust.

- A lot of what you are talking about is someone's business, often "gray". How to reverse it?

“You have to understand that if people are worried, then many decisions become difficult to make. There are always politicians who need the support of the people, they can and will help. I think the system, when everyone rows for themselves, has already exhausted itself.

I can't beat corruption, but I know how to make sure a child doesn't get hit by a car. And this is my mission - if I know how to save people, I will save them. I know how to make people's lives brighter and better. Even if at first they resist. I know they will see the result later and will support me when they feel the changes for themselves.

In the near future, I want to create an active urban community, with which the authorities will consult when making certain decisions related to the organization of space in the city.

Outside the system of ideas more

There are many Chelyabinsk residents who criticize their city, but not so many who are moving to active actions, although the president has repeatedly said that it is the activity of the citizens themselves that determines how the urban environment will change. What was the last straw for you? Next releases?

Oddly enough, I made the decision abroad. In Chelyabinsk itself, probably, at first my eye was blurred, I did not notice much. And then one day with friends I rode a bicycle from Nice to Rome. I didn’t lift the steering wheel once during the journey to jump over the side, can you imagine? Would this be possible in Chelyabinsk? But it's not just the bikes, of course.

I moved to a new microdistrict and realized that we not only did not learn how to build, but rather even forgot how, because much of the good past was also lost. I am a civil engineer by education, I can judge the level of infrastructure. I started sharing my thoughts on the blog. This is how the Chelyabinsk Urbanist project was born. It also influenced the fact that almost all of my friends left Chelyabinsk. I thought: why is this happening? To be honest, I myself would have left, but I would have lost all social capital. I had some savings left from the small business I once had, and I decided to devote all my time to social work.

Many dissatisfied, but a common person who needs to feed his family, complains about the city authorities over a glass of beer, and then goes back to work. And here it is necessary to purposefully not only criticize, but also offer.

- And it turns out? There is an opinion that our officials cannot be stirred up.

Almost immediately, other townspeople began to write to me, support me, and I realized that I had “scraped a sore”. In defense of officials, I can say that being a civil servant is quite difficult. This constant fear to step somewhere in the wrong place, to be outside the system. My friends and I are non-systemic, so we can suggest unusual options. For example, make an entrance from Kommuny Street into a new square behind the public library - now this passage is full of cars there, but it may turn out to be a passage to Kirovka. You know, I directly connect the urban environment with economic development region. Why is small business dying in the city? Because people here don't go for walks more often, but drive in cars to large shopping malls - large chains that belong to Muscovites. Other niches are disappearing, and, I repeat, people are leaving. Those same friends of mine are very talented people, but they will create a bunch of projects, jobs in other cities and regions. I deliberately made a survey among Chelyabinsk residents aged 18 to 35 - almost everyone has six or seven acquaintances who left Chelyabinsk. It scares.

The car is a luxury!

- Aren't there any pedestrian-friendly places in Chelyabinsk? Take the same Kirovka.

I once compared two pictures of Kirovka - 2003 and the current one. And in the old photo there is no dominance of stalls, advertising signs. What now? Also, the drains on the main pedestrian street are without grates - why can't this be solved in a few years? The trouble is that we have a country of manual control. But why should someone constantly shift the responsibility? It is necessary to solve problems tactically, locally. Start with basic needs - for a person to reach the bus stop without jumping on the sides and avoiding labyrinths of kiosks and lampposts, and this is very common not only in Parkovoy, but also in the city center!

It is not only the urban environment, it is also the economy. The more actively people walk, the more such places they have, the more different shops and establishments. It has long been known that a pedestrian spends more than a motorist. And the infrastructure for cars is nine times more expensive than for public transport.

- It turns out that you are a supporter of those who believe that it is necessary to restrict the movement of cars?

I am in favor of having a car in the city was a luxury. This is already expensive: on average, maintaining a car costs more than 200 thousand rubles a year, that is, almost 20 thousand a month. And cars make us introverts, while the walking culture is about communication. But, alas, the thinking of immigrants from the USSR still prevails in our country, for whom a car is an indicator of well-being. The trouble is that pedestrians are hindered even on the sidewalks. Almost every department has its own post! One for wires, another for video cameras, the third for something else! And they put them, taking away space from the sidewalks. Stands for announcements are installed again almost on the aisle! At one of the intersections on Molodogvardeytsev Street, I counted seven stalls at the bus stop!

Lots of bad decisions. Who came up with the idea to place a parking lot for evacuated cars near ChelGU, next to the botanical garden? Such a winning place, and there is now this terrible iron fence. Or a pedestrian crossing on Universitetskaya embankment - for residents of the North-West it was the most convenient way to the bridge and Gagarin Park. The transition has been removed. For what?

- Pedestrians will agree with you, but motorists ...

In this way, the interests of all can be taken into account. In Chelyabinsk, there was a specialist from London who said: “With such a population and the width of the roads, you should not have traffic jams at all! And the city’s problem is that you don’t have professionals who would regulate traffic.” And I understand what he's talking about. We have a lot of intersections where traffic lights change according to completely incomprehensible rules! So, at the intersection of Khudyakov and Entuziastov streets, cars stand for a minute and a half in front of an empty road. And at the crossroads of the Russian and Labor, a pedestrian must almost run across the roadway. And there are many such examples!

But not all the reasons of motorists should be accepted. Especially about parking. I posted an interview with the mayor of Bogota, the capital of Colombia, who correctly said: “Asking where I can park my car is like asking: I bought clothes, and where should I store them now?” This is your property, you decide where to put it. But not at the expense of others. And if you put the car not at the very entrance, as we are used to, but a few tens of meters from it, it's okay, you can walk, it's good for your health!

Shawarma stall on wheels

- It turns out that the more pedestrians on the streets, the more comfortable the urban environment?

Rather, on the contrary, but here many processes are interconnected. And sometimes you don't need a lot of money to transform the environment. Why not install benches not only in squares, but also at the edge of the sidewalks, where the width allows? There are also environmentally friendly technologies - I know how to make benches from pallets (Euro pallets) for 100 thousand rubles, which can fill the entire Miass embankment!

Or another project is to get the consent of the residents, take one of the yards and completely rid it of cars. So that there are only children's, sports grounds, flower beds, barbecue areas. I will answer motorists: there are many such yards in Germany, and somehow people live! And the level of motorization there is higher than in Russia. It is necessary to create such a yard and see if the owners of the car themselves will agree to return everything later.

Many believe that Chelyabinsk also needs a radical transformation of the public transport system. For example, remove minibuses from the streets. Do you share this opinion?

For me, a minibus and, say, a trolleybus are like a shawarma stall and a restaurant. Here you eat shawarma and don’t know if you’re lucky - you won’t be lucky, you won’t get poisoned. So it is in the minibus: it is not known whether you will get there without incident. You pay the driver yourself, and they often drop you off somewhere. What about a trolleybus? You will be served by a conductor, stops will be announced, and through the wide windows you can see the city, not the carpet on the partition of the minibus driver!

It is possible to change the situation with public transport, and with many other things. If everyone feels their responsibility for what is happening in the city. And I am glad that there are many young people among such people.

Urbanist Lev Vladov told what the authorities are afraid of when Chelyabinsk catches up with Moscow and how to defeat convinced motorists

Photo: Andrey ABRAMOV

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Chelyabinsk Urbanist appeared in August 2017 and in a couple of months managed to shake up the city. His ideas are simple, but in Chelyabinsk they sound like some kind of revelation: narrow roads, return sidewalks, introduce paid parking. Down with the fences, bury the underground passages, return the zebras.

The leader of the movement, Lev Vladov, lived all his life in Chelyabinsk. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering and moved into the local construction industry.

Nobody wanted to work fast and well. I threw in offers, but in response I heard: “ Leo, moderate your ambitions, or go to Moscow». So I went into business - an iPhone repair service. Tired of this area and sold the business. Went to travel around Europe. Cycling from France to Italy. For 500 km, I never lifted the wheel to jump onto the side. I returned and realized that everything is very bad in Chelyabinsk, - says the activist.

Nobody cares.

HOW THE URBANIST APPEARED

He wrote notes about the improvement of the city on his VK page. I realized that there were too many of them and created a group. The first posts were about the ubiquitous Chelyabinsk fences. Thought maybe I'm the only one who cares? It turned out that other townspeople were worried. The symbol of the group is a man with a purse, who speaks on a mobile phone and jumps over a puddle against the background of an advertising banner - a typical Chelyabinsk reality.

FOR WHAT

The mission is to explain to a person on the fingers: why it is good to equip the city in this way, but it is bad in a different way. But it’s not enough just to talk, you also need to set an example. We have two functions - educational and specific changes in Chelyabinsk. We want to make sure that Chelyabinsk residents can influence the situation in the city in two clicks. Officials respond well to the flow of complaints. People will see this and start running their city. I want people to get involved. We started from our house, ZhEKa. Bring activity in the yard and little by little we will change the life of Chelyabinsk.

There were imitators from other regions. I saw "Ufa Urbanist", "Miass Urbanist". So far, they are only trying to inspire citizens to be active. But the idea is worth nothing, the main thing is daily plowing.

WHO IS ON THE TEAM

About 15 people permanently. Others come from time to time. Not everyone can sit at the headquarters, but they are ready to help. For example, there is a businessman. He is 35 years old and at his work he is a big boss, but here he asks with pleasure: “What should I do?”.

Few professional architects. Those guys that are, just graduated from the university and they do not have enough stuffed hands. While it is winter, we are working on more complex projects: design, transport analytics. We do not realize that this is some kind of work, rather a general interesting thing. We arrive at seven in the evening and sit until two in the morning - then go home.

ABOUT MONEY

We collect about 50 thousand rubles. per month. Citizens sent for specific projects and just to support us. It's great, but not enough for us to devote all our free time to the project. Now I live alone at the expense of personal savings, the rest of the guys work. Therefore, we have already reached the peak of productivity a long time ago, and we cannot yet do more and faster.

I would like to be able to hire several designers on a salary. To work on a specific project every day. It would be great if there were several sponsors who would give us ten thousand a month. We would turn this money into a wage fund. We would like the city to pay us. After all, he will greatly benefit from our developments in the next five years.

FIRST PROJECTS

Ideas are born spontaneously while walking around the city. Then I can't sleep until I get to work. This is what happened with communication cabinets. Rusty pasted nonsense on the main streets - savagery. So we started raising money to paint boxes. It was possible to transform about 20 cabinets. Next year we will continue this expansion of goodness.

The project of a literary square near Publichka. I decided to show people what tactical urbanism is. He threw a cry in the group, gathered the people. We bought pallets and built benches and flower beds in five evenings. We spent 30 thousand rubles, the library spent half a million on a gravel path.

Now it is no longer interesting to lower the degree of complexity. Once you understand the decision, you want to move on. It's like sitting next to a person who is guessing a crossword puzzle and does not know the word, and you can tell him.

HOW TO BEAT THE HARD-CASTED MOTORISTS

The car in the city is a stumbling block. Convinced motorists need to explain their position over and over again. This is how he made a glass door in the entrance - it was smashed. Instead of making iron, put glass again. So until it becomes clear to people that the system will not work differently.

The problem is that the administration moves by car. That would be to oblige them to use public transport and walk. After all, the feeling of being in the city is sharply the opposite. I also drove a car for a long time and the urban environment did not soar me. I liked the wide roads and exits, the lack of pedestrians. As soon as I started walking, I began to see severe problems. But those who can solve them do not even know about them, because they are sitting in the car. Until officials start walking, nothing will change.

When was the last time our big officials got up on Revolution Square at five o'clock in the evening and tried to get into a bus? Not sure if they know what routes go to their house. Transport is the blood of the city. And we have this spot on the mayor's office. What's worse - I do not understand her plans for transport. There have been no positive changes for a long time, the number of minibuses is going through the roof.

Why should we get rid of parking lots in the city center.

WHY OFFICIALS WORK BADLY

Every day I ask myself, what is the reason for the "Leviathan" in the country? I go to officials a lot. They say that they are very worried about the city and want to develop it. However, efforts are not always visible. First, they lack enthusiasm. Many of our managers come from the Union: they work within the framework and are afraid of the initiative. They are learned by the system and just do what is required of them no more no less. If they do more, then colleagues will begin to suspect something.

They make many decisions because they sincerely believe that it is necessary. For example, fences are beautiful and safe. In fact, where there is a fence, you don’t want to walk. And from the reckless driver who flew onto the sidewalk, she does not save.

They put up "blazing" playgrounds because they think it's the only way to avoid dullness in the yards. They will continue to fence this collective farm, because they consider it beautiful. They would like it differently, but they don't know how.

There is not enough fresh blood in the administrations. People who are willing to own opinion while remaining in the system. Although there are external problems. For example, the heads of districts pointed out to me that they were interfering federal laws, decisions of the City Duma.

In our administration good people, but they have already formed their own views on life, and they are not ready to change them. This means that we will not be able to push through new ideas.

WHAT THE AUTHORITY IS AFRAID

Distinguish between bureaucrats and politicians. The first thing is that organs do not come to the nose. Officials are afraid of three things: the prosecutor's office, the accounting chamber and the Federal Antimonopoly Service. The head of the district, city - non-elected positions. They don't care about people's opinion. And politicians, deputies - on the contrary, it is important. It turns out a stalemate: people are dissatisfied with the actions of some, but it is important for others.

The city administration is very receptive to public opinion. If you abruptly introduce paid parking, a riot will begin. The authorities will get scared and shut themselves off from innovation for the next five years. Therefore, it is necessary to work with public opinion.

WHEN CHELYABINSK CATCHES MOSCOW

Any city can change a lot in three years. A lot of things are done badly, simply because they are careless. Eight million were spent on cast-iron fences on Lenin Avenue. Trees could be planted along the central streets with this money. Or make a sidewalk where the road revolution ate it. But the attention of the administration is drawn to the wrong things. Where you can cut the ribbon and say: “Here, we did it!”. I spoke about this publicly to them at a government meeting. Let's do things that you can't see on TV: drop the sides, put on good stops.

Moscow is not Sobyanin's decisions to narrow roads and build sidewalks. It is young designers who are lobbying for decisions to make dedicated lanes, stops, etc. The municipality is well set up there, but somewhere the old fart spirit reigns. The problem of inertia of power is ubiquitous for the country. These are echoes of the Soviet past: do everything according to plan, do not overtake. People just follow the rules and do not read anything new, do little self-education. Generations must change and people should come to power who will understand: if nothing is done, then nothing will change.

Where to walk in Chelyabinsk: Kirovka and the city forest. New squares are constantly being opened in Moscow. Although we are only five times smaller than the capital, and the population there is 15 times larger. We have a big good city in which many places can be improved. But in order to do this, you will have to make difficult strong-willed decisions. After all, people may not understand a lot. For example, we urgently need to make dedicated lines for transport, despite the fact that it is not enough. But when people see that a trolleybus travels faster along a dedicated line, they will get into it, which means they will invest.

CITY SUPPORT

Many important decisions can be made next year. The speed of acceptance will affect how quickly we will become at least like Yekaterinburg. For the authorities, I am a chance to do free projects. Just give us a hand and we'll do it. I think they are interested in this game. And recently, the Ministry of Construction also advised the South Ural authorities to listen to us. And there are young 30-year-old technocrats working there now and they want to do good things. So we enlisted beefy support.

Now we are on the right track, people support us, shower us with ideas. We have become a city support service that tells everyone where to go. People write all the time. And it won't end even when we release the textbooks. Therefore, we plan to make a bot that will answer the questions of citizens on the Internet, give out links and phone numbers. Perhaps this can be done on the site of the administration. So far, their website is not very informative and understandable.

WHETHER TO LEAVING CHELYABINSK

I don't want to be either an official or a politician. You can make the world a better place without it. You can be a social activist and also influence the life of the city. We, as the media, are the fourth estate. We can write about the problem and the next day they will talk about it.

At the beginning of Urbanist, I said that if I couldn't change Chelyabinsk, I would leave it. For six months of work, I have a positive attitude. I feel great satisfaction. Much can be changed with specific proposals and support from citizens. We want to make sure that many people go to public hearings and lobby for the right ideas for the development of the urban environment.

FIVE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE URBANIST IN A YEAR

1. Speech in Moscow to officials from all over the country and a seminar for the district authorities of Chelyabinsk.

2. They started a heated discussion of the life of the city: they began to understand not only good cars, but also good streets.

3. We agreed with the chairman of the city commission for the improvement of Chelyabinsk that urbanists will take part in the development of public spaces next year.

5. Painted cabinets.

FIVE PLANS FOR 2018

1. Creation of a test network of cycle paths. We will try to lobby for cutting off part of the roads in favor of cycling. Needless to say, we don't have cyclists. First, we will make the infrastructure for them, and then we'll see.

2. Creation of dedicated lanes for transport. We are the last million-plus city where there are none.

4. Make navigation in the city: stands that show routes for walking, sights.

5. Development of a corporate identity for Chelyabinsk stops: style, font and a new tram scheme. It was made by the guys who painted the Moscow metro.

Foreigners say about Chelyabinsk that it is not the most beautiful city in the world, but at the same time they note that they are always happy and surprised when they meet ancient buildings. Tourists go to different cities and countries for history, and not high-tech, says Yury Latyshev, a local historian from Chelyabinsk. There is something to see in Chelyabinsk right now. And in order to see a city of historical and architectural value, it is necessary to preserve what is. And ideally, also to demolish a couple of architectural examples of modern art.

How to preserve the historical center of the city, make Chelyabinsk comfortable for life, bring color to the everyday life of the city? We understand this together with our experts, walking around Kirovka. Together with Yury Latyshev, Lev Vladov, who created the Chelyabinsk Urbanist community, and Vasily Bolshakov, senior lecturer at the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering, are speaking today as Guberniya experts.

Save Merchant Chelyabinsk

If we turn to discussions on the Internet, we can conclude that Chelyabinsk residents are primarily proud of Kirovka and the city forest. Indeed, a full-scale forest, and even a relic one, located right in the center of the city, you will not find everywhere. And many seasoned tourists consider Chelyabinsk Kirovka to be cozier and more functional than, for example, the Yekaterinburg Vainer, and some even (they don’t argue about tastes) more beautiful than the Moscow Arbat.

Kirovka is not just a pedestrian street. One of the oldest streets reflects the spirit of pre-revolutionary Chelyabinsk. “The main street is a solid bazaar,” was how they wrote at the beginning of the 20th century about the former Ufimskaya, now the Kirov section (from the bridge to Revolution Square). It's like that. Those who accuse the city of the lack of style are greatly mistaken, local historian Yuri Latyshev is sure. Chelyabinsk has its own style, which today is sometimes difficult to discern because of the not always correct urban planning policy.

- The symbol of Chelyabinsk is a camel. Not because, of course, the Silk Road passed here. The camel is a symbol of trade, and Chelyabinsk was a trading city before the revolution. There was little industry, it only began to develop a little in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, - says Yuri LatvianV. - There were 400 shops for 40 thousand inhabitants, that is, for every 100 people - one shop. This is a lot for that time. Then shops and shopping arcades began to appear. Chelyabinsk is a merchant city, and this should be emphasized in the center.

Yuri Latyshev says that before the revolution, Chelyabinsk was a city of two-story buildings. There was a lot of stone (the Southern Urals is a rich region), so rich Chelyabinsk residents built houses completely of stone. Sometimes only the first floor was made of stone, the second was made of wood. There were many wooden houses, at the beginning of the 20th century there were about four thousand of them. Each owner decorated the windows of the house with platbands, the desire of the pre-revolutionary residents of the city for individuality led to the fact that in Chelyabinsk it was impossible to meet a single similar frame. Few of these buildings have survived to our times, the more valuable they are. A vivid example of wooden architecture is the house of Praskovia Yudina, which now houses the Tourism Development Center of the Chelyabinsk Region.

– Kirovka, Vasenko, Elkin, Labor, Commune, Zwilling, Karl Marx, Krasnoarmeyskaya, Pushkin streets are our historical heritage. New buildings in the historic center of the city should fit into its style. What are they doing now? "Chelyabinsk City", a 23-story building in the middle of low-rise Kirovka, apparently, was not enough. Now, skyscrapers are being built on yet another old Labor Street, where it intersects with Svoboda. Buildings built in the style of the historical center can be counted on the fingers, - the Chelyabinsk local historian is indignant.

High-rise buildings "close" historical buildings. In the same way, ill-conceived buildings in the center and aggressive signs on architectural monuments operate.

- For example, here is the house of the merchant Zakir Galeev, where the Sasha store used to be, - local historian points to the building on Kirov street, 147. - Now here gastrobar "Tolstoy". All this embellishment spoils the building and does not allow us to appreciate its architecture. Meanwhile, the two-story mansion is an example of a rich merchant's house, a monument of history and culture. Of course, there should not be such an entrance group, only a modest and neat sign with the name.

Or another example - Kirov, 139. These are the former profitable houses of Andrei Kholodov, who became rich in the trade in bread and flour. Furnished rooms were located on the second floor. The building is completely clad in granite. There are only three of these in the city. The style of the building resembles the architecture of St. Petersburg. However, in the summer, this piece of Northern Palmyra was obscured by the "letniks" of restaurants located in a former apartment building. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the initiative group of local historians "ArchiStrazh", Chelyabinsk residents and guests of the city were able to touch history in the literal sense of the word. Letniki were removed two years ago by a court decision.

– Today there is a lot of talk about the need to form the center of Chelyabinsk. But why create it, it exists, it must be preserved. I periodically lead excursions for visitors, including foreigners. Everyone is interested historical objects. I myself, when I travel, also want to see the past, not the present, - Yury Latyshev says.

Yuri Vladimirovich - coordinator of the initiative group of local historians "ArchiStrazh". The goal of the community is the protection of historical and cultural monuments of Chelyabinsk. Behind last years, as Yuri Latyshev notes, two interesting objects were found in Chelyabinsk - a vodka factory and an old pavement. The bridge, unfortunately, was dismantled. The second object is also endangered. On the site between the chamber theater and the regional military registration and enlistment office, where a vodka factory was discovered, they planned to build a three-story hotel. Construction work has already begun. According to the local historian, the construction will destroy the cellars of the unique vodka factory, which was located here until 1902. Even earlier, under the auspices of the road revolution, three objects were demolished cultural heritage on st. Zwillinga, 1, Truda, 73 and Krasnoarmeyskaya, 68. Until now, there are wastelands on the site of the buildings, and the houses themselves are listed in the register.

– We are talking about attracting tourists, but we are destroying really interesting objects, – Yuri Latyshev sighs.

"Encode" the historical center of Chelyabinsk

Lev Vladov, a graduate of the SUSU Faculty of Architecture, believes that in order to see the historical center of the city, we need a design code. A young man, a native of Chelyabinsk, some time ago created the Chelyabinsk Urbanist community. On this site, Leo seeks and unites like-minded people who want to make the urban environment comfortable for living.

– Design code is specific rules that form a neat appearance the central streets of the city. The design code regulates the placement and size of signs, as well as the color scheme. At the same time, the rules are prescribed for each building separately, - says Lev Vladov. – There are such documents in many large European cities that love their center and want to save it.

Today, according to the guy, a walk through the historical center of the city threatens with a culture shock.

“Look at these plastic windows,” the young man points to the house of the merchant Nikolai Samokhvalov, a cultural heritage site that now houses catering establishments. – You can’t put plastic windows or plastic doors into a cool old house. Balconies in houses where they were not conceived by the architect, suspended structures - all this must be removed. There are also good examples, for example, the McDonald's building fit into the style of Kirovka. And next to it is Jodo, a building with no form or rhythm.

However, adopting a design code is only half the battle. At the same time, it is necessary to explain to the townspeople why this is good. Saratov became the second city after Moscow where the design code was applied. But residents (mainly in the face of local businesses) opposed the innovation, explaining this by a drop in sales revenue. However, according to Lev Vladov, the practice of European cities shows the opposite.

Lev Vladov agrees with local historian Yuri Latyshev that there should not be high buildings in the historical center. The young man goes even further in his thought, arguing that it is time for Chelyabinsk to abandon the multi-storey residential complexes that are popular today.

- We havein the center there is a huge number of wastelands, it is possible to build two- and three-three-story residential complexes there. The center of Chelyabinsk is already overloaded with skyscrapers, says Lev Vladov. He is categorical in his assessment of modern architecture. – We don’t have many interesting buildings left in terms of architecture. Because nothing good has been built for 50 years. After the Stalinist Empire style left, our city “survived” the invasion of “Khrushchev”, “Brezhnevka”, they began to build buildings, borrowing some western directions, altering them to modern fret. Garbage architecture appeared - glass shopping centers came into fashion, compacted buildings, which began to kill the harmony and rhythm of facades on old streets, - emphasizes Lev Vladov.

According to young man, the appearance of the city should be shaped by professionals - competent people with a sense of beauty. In no case should the decision to erect a particular building in the historical center be submitted to the public court of all residents of the city. By the way, Ivan Krylov wrote about this in one of his fables: “It’s a disaster if the shoemaker starts baking pies ...”

A good city is where people want to take to the streets

If you can still walk around Kirovka, then it’s impossible to walk along Truda Street, since there is uncontrolled parking everywhere. But on this street there are also many old buildings. Lev Vladov proposes to make part of Labor pedestrian. Creating an adequate transport scheme is another important question for the city.

– As the world-respected Mayor of Bogota Enrique Peñalosa says, the most important element for the infrastructure of the city, which distinguishes developed cities from backward ones, are quality sidewalks. In three years, Peñalosa managed to turn a depressed Colombian city into a place with a comfortable urban environment, – says Lev Vladov. – It is necessary to make it more interesting to be a pedestrian in Chelyabinsk than to see the world from a car window. People should spend time on the streets, communicate. Many of my friends are ready to give up cars if a decent environment for walking around the city and comfortable public transport are created. While pedestrians are clinging to the walls of the facades, there are no dedicated paths for cyclists in Chelyabinsk. By the way, given the incredible width of Chelyabinsk roads, we could change the situation without great expense by turning the city towards pedestrians. Many people complain about factory emissions, but no one thinks about the harm that car exhaust fumes bring. We will not close factories, but we can improve the lives of Chelyabinsk residents by reducing the number of cars, replacing minibuses with modern modern public transport – ideally, light rail transport, which will also go to remote microdistricts like Parkovoe and Churilovo. For buses, it is necessary to make a dedicated lane so that public transport moves faster than private cars. This is the alternative that we will offer Chelyabinsk residents in return, so that they can easily and painlessly give up cars. Parking in the city center should become paid, ideally - people should not go to the center by car at all. For these purposes, there is a taxi.

Lev Vladov is sure that his plans are not for the long term, the main city problems can be solved within the next three to five years. Already next year it is possible to ennoble the center of Chelyabinsk by adopting a design code and starting a "road diet". But we must be prepared for the dissatisfaction of car owners. By the way, according to the US Department of Transportation, the narrowing of roads and the reduction of lanes for cars reduces the number of accidents.

- I believe that Chelyabinsk region has not realized its potential in terms of tourism. But we have something to see in the region. Chelyabinsk, as the capital of the Southern Urals, could attract more tourists, the young Chelyabinsk resident is sure. - I want to turn Chelyabinsk into a European city: with a comfortable environment, a place where it is convenient and pleasant to walk, where people are satisfied with their lives.

Urban studies - the activity of the future or a profession that does not exist

Urbanistics is a new term for our country. And many still do not understand how an urbanist differs from an architect or urban planner. Urban studies is a science devoted to the development of various urban systems (transport, pedestrian infrastructure, ecology, healthcare, and others), their interaction with each other and (which is especially important) with city residents. The first urbanist can be called Plato, who in his work "The State" described the ideal model of the city, based on philosophical reasoning about the interactions between people. That is, if urban planners and architects look at the city as an empty space that they need to fill, then the urbanist evaluates the city as a place where specific people already live with certain habits, and when forming the urban environment, they proceed primarily from the preferences of local residents.

According to the senior lecturer of the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction Vasily Bolshakov There is no such profession as an urbanist. There is an urban movement as a natural reaction to the growth of urbanization in the world.

“A person is trying and willing to realize himself in space and how to transform this space, make it better,” says Vasily Bolshakov. - The object of research, observation or simply interest among people who call themselves urbanists is the city. The subject can be different - environment, sociology, economics, economy. If we take that side of the activity that is being taken seriously, then this is rather close to the section of science - cognitive geography - ideas about human activity in the space of the city as a geographical object.

According to the SUSU lecturer, there is no historical center in Chelyabinsk that would fully preserve the historical environment. There are several streets where old buildings remain. At the same time, according to Bolshakov, many of them have no aesthetic value.

- IN Soviet time quite a lot of really significant objects were destroyed. Now the city is also changing, this is a normal process, it is another matter that it should change in better side, be enriched with new buildings that will form a new space and create new story city, says the architect.

If for Chelyabinsk urbanism - social activity, then the capital has already appreciated the significance of this phenomenon. You can learn to be an urbanist, for example, in high school urban studies in Moscow. One of educational programs is called "Management of spatial development of cities". As reported on the official website of the Higher School of Economics, within two years, the institution, which has state accreditation, plans to train professionals who influence the development of modern cities and are able to respond to the challenges faced by megacities and agglomerations.