public spaces

Nowadays, one can hardly deny the importance of the system of public spaces. Its role as an integral element of urban infrastructure is actively studied, yet not fully comprehended. This section presents a collection of publications devoted to the history of the question using the example of public spaces in Krasnoyarsk. The therapeutic role of urban gardens is an example of the innovative approach of the Crimean scientists to the problem of the city infrastructure.Philosophy of separate objects is discussed in the articles of our regular authors. The fountain and the city well, of course, are both part of the public spaces and part of the engineering infrastructure that (for free!) ensures life of the city and citizens. The city is indeed rooted in wells.

The Bridge

The bridge is a popular image of formation of the city’s symbol, brand and composite character. The essay proposes interpretation of the mythopoetics of bridges, one of the most ambiguous, mysterious and attractive typological niches in architecture.

A lone warrior

On October 23, 2021, Alexander Gerbertovich Rappaport turned 80 years old. During his lifetime he has written 5,000 texts. They were all published in his blog “Tower and Maze”. Rappaport's articles and books never get old. His 5,000 texts are to be read by future generations, and perhaps his desire to be an oracle for those who come to architecture in the third millennium will come true.

Three airports

The airport terminals in Perm, Saratov and Kemerovo created by Asadov Architectural bureau are presented. General concepts of complexes, architectural and interior solutions for passenger terminals, as well as elaboration of design codes of administrative and technical buildings are given. Particular attention is paid to passenger comfort and safety.

infrastructure of life

The infrastructure of the city accompanies a person at all stages of their biography, including death as an integral attribute of life. This section includes three articles, the authors of which appear in our journal for the first time. The articles discuss strong trends that usually escape the attention of architectural theorists. There is a return of communal and other forms of housing where people unrelated to each other live under the same roof. Is it a global trend or a forced measure against economic hardships? A rethink of the rental house, a rapid shift in the balance from home ownership to rental housing – how will this affect the architecture of cities? In the general trend of changing attitudes to death and the process of dying, the subject of hospice architecture until recently was taboo, but now strongly attracts architects’ attention. The articles of our new authors are more of a question-posing and problematic nature, which is exactly in the style of our journal.

Infrastructure

The history of cultural space is viewed as a history of constant and necessary modernization of infrastructure. The main feature of infrastructure is the network organization and the constructive role of hub-nodes and connections and their bent for rationalization and transnational trends. The power, directions and goals of infrastructure determine the development of cities. Modern strategies for general social development imply the emergence of efficient communication corridors, highway networks and hubs located along the perimeter of the country, determining the country’s gravitation toward global connections and interactions. The development of quality infrastructure is a contribution to the future and an area of the authorities’ responsibility.

Nikitin's acquittal

The article reflects the results of the research carried out by the authors in the framework of the scientific project: "Architects and engineers of the eastern outskirts of Russia (second half of the XIX - early XX century)". The legacy of the city architect Nikitin (6 surviving buildings) is considered. Descriptions and stylistic analysis of objects are given, a conclusion is made about the broadest creative range of the provincial architect.

Network infrastructure in the present-day realities

The development of digital technologies, the transformation of the Internet into a “communication medium” leads to the formation of a network society with the large-scale development of network culture and the invasion of network business and network forms of education. Replacement of the face-to-face contact by the network communication, destruction of personal space, openness of personal life, its “inclusion in the network”, simultaneous possibility of anonymity, protection and irresponsibility of users become a reality of modern life. Network systems are becoming the basic infrastructure of modern society.

A well – a wellspring – a jewel

Fresh water in the city is considered as the most important strategic resource for the existence of mankind. The article reveals religious, mythological and everyday symbols of water as a necessary element of national spiritual cultures. It also describes architectural peculiarities of wells as centers of attraction for citizens, meeting places and magic rituals in different regions of the world. The importance of fresh drinking water as an element of urban infrastructure is emphasized.

A panacea or unregulated density of the city?

Drawing on the case of Krasnoyarsk, the authors study the possibilities of defining the territories of integrated development (ITD), as well as possible directions of their development from the standpoint of the modern understanding of the renovation of the city environment. To assess the functioning of residential areas to be reconstructed, the method of urban morphology and the QGIS geoinformation complex based on open data were used. Some territorial parameters are analyzed and proposed for determining the ITD, in accordance with the present ideas about the modern comfort of the living environment, using the example of two city districts.