Category Archives: Development

Just feel the difference

ул. Сакко и Ванцетти около ЖК "Тихвин"

How ill-conceived parking policies ruin the pedestrian realm of the city

In my November post on street design I have pointed at certain features of modern Russian architecture that undermine the creation of good public spaces. Namely I mentioned deep setbacks between buildings and the right-of-way that are used as parking lots. Thus buildings face the street not with pedestrian-friendly frontages but with hoods and tailpipes of parked cars.

The difference between pedestrian-oriented and car-oriented development is not usually striking to a passer-by. It is a background that creates a certain atmosphere in the city or on particular streets. Like stuffiness in a room – one wouldn’t notice how stifling it was until the window is opened.

To ‘open the window’ and illustrate the difference between pedestian- and car-oriented buildings I’ve created pairs of photographs showing the same places but with different placement of buildings relative to the street. Let’s have a look!

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