Moscow – During the Soviet era, most living space in Russia was industrially manufactured. Subsequently, buildings proliferated uncontrollably at the hands of investors. But now, the country is looking to constructive city planning.

Almost 80 per cent of the living space in buildings in Moscow was industrially manufactured during the Soviet era, according to an article published in the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” (NZZ). When the Soviet Union fell, uncontrolled construction followed, with “cityscapes that looked as if a giant had rampaged through the buildings”.   

Now, Russia intends to leave this architectural heritage in the past – and the trend is seeping across the whole country. To be dubbed a “city planner” is no longer an insult.

Although smaller cities are experiencing development, the new trend is most pronounced in the big cities, especially Moscow. The capital is also setting the pace when it comes to putting residents first. “Government officials decide what is good for the people”, commented the article.

An example is Park Sarjadje, which occupies the space left when Hotel Rossija was razed. “For a converted rate of 200 million euros, a wild urbanism has come to exist, where the natural lives alongside the artificial and the old alongside the new”.

Every year, 10,000 boxy 1960s apartment blocks are torn down, with the inhabitants promised new apartments on the edge of the city. In Moscow, there is even a term for this development: “sobjanieren”, which refers to the city mayor Sergej Sobjanin.