The international workshop in Irkutsk proposed bold ideas for the citys development through the philosophy of nomadism from a pedestrian historic center and a new ring road to a network of multifunctional public spaces. Participants also presented festival carnival new park and embankment projects and experts noted the teams holistic and fresh view of transport heritage and urban identity
The concept of the leaders of the international workshop is based on the philosophy of so-called nomadism (from the Greek nomádos — wandering). The team participants proposed considering Irkutsk’s development strategy not in national-territorial isolation and confinement, but in the free movement of people across the planet — all-planet nomadism. Let us recall that this year the session theme is “Modernization of the urban environment and the formation of a system of public and recreational spaces in the city.” According to urban planner Guillermo Marales from Mexico, public spaces should be places that attract people, taking into account temporal and seasonal specifics.“We observe an imbalance in the city: an intensive center and a poorly developed periphery. Therefore, it is necessary to create a network of multifunctional spaces that could be in demand at any time of day and in any season,” says G. Marales. “Urban nomads are free in their movement around the city. To implement this idea, Irkutsk’s historic center must become completely pedestrian. The historical significance of the area will be enhanced by cobblestone paving on the central streets. Residents can leave their cars in a special parking lot at the entrance to the center and switch to eco-friendly public transport. The main traffic flows need to be redirected along a new ring road, which must definitely be built.”
Young urban planners are convinced that Irkutsk lacks bright and unusual entertainment events that unite residents and help increase tourist interest. This problem can be solved by organizing new festivals, carnivals, and public workshops. For example, urbanists propose holding a snow festival in winter and turning the city embankment into a large beach in summer. Another highlight of Irkutsk could be the traditional Russian bazaar, which would be set up on the site of the existing Chinese market.
According to the architects’ project, a park with amphitheaters and small cafés should appear on the site of Pad Dolgaya (the area between the Pervomaisky and Universitetsky neighborhoods). Establishing external connections for this site will be made possible by building a bridge that crosses the highway and railway tracks.
Deputy Director of Les Ateliers Léa Morfuaz notes that “Urban Nomads” demonstrated a holistic approach to solving the assigned tasks and also presented their developments expressively and clearly during the presentation.
“The guys tried to resolve pressing issues of transport policy. In my opinion, the proposal to make such central parts of the city as Karl Marx Street pedestrian or partially pedestrian zones could be successful,” says L. Morfuaz. “I also really liked the proposals of the other teams for preserving the city’s heritage. The idea of viewpoints that would allow people to take in Irkutsk’s landscapes could be promising.”
Associate Professor of the Department of Urban Design at Delft University (Netherlands) Frenk Van der Hoven notes that choosing the best project was not easy, because all the participants presented worthy and high-quality concepts for the development of public spaces.
“The idea of involving residents in the work on creating new spaces seemed strong to me. The team that worked on the development of the Angara River bank developed a very good toolkit. This is a fairly flexible approach, because these tools can also be applied to other areas. Based on various visual signs, the session participants proposed assigning each district of Irkutsk its own identifying mark so that the city would have a personal identity. Almost all the teams mentioned polycentricity,” says F. Van der Hoven. “However, I am rather skeptical about this, because Irkutsk is not Paris; there are not that many residents here. I think the city needs no more than one or two new public spaces.”
IrGTU student Darya Kulesh believes that the Winter University helped her look at her hometown with fresh eyes.
“In the first days of excursions, together with foreign specialists, we looked at the city with different eyes, began to pay attention and understand that much could be changed for the better. For me, the Winter University is strong emotions that each participant experienced deeply. During the session, we went through a lot: we were friends, argued, tried to create something interesting,” D. Kulesh admits.
Winners and participants of the 14th session of the MBZGU were presented with commemorative souvenirs and gifts. At the solemn closing ceremony, the chair of the board of the Heritage of Irkutsk Philanthropists foundation, Marina Kondrashova, spoke. She emphasized that the Winter University is an important event not only among the professional community, but also for the city’s residents: “I hope that your proposals will take root in Irkutsk. It is encouraging that the participants of the urban planning forum approach the tasks set before them thoroughly. They address architectural and design solutions, consider the transport situation, and even propose new cultural events that can decorate the city and make life in it brighter.”
36 young specialists in urban planning, ecology, economics, and transport systems from 13 countries and five Russian cities took part in the 14th session of the MBZGU, which took place in the Angara region from February 1 to 22. Five assistants and 18 international experts provided help and professional consultations to the young specialists.
Based on materials from the IrGTU press service