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Photo: Alexey Korochkov

The strategic session “Yelets. People. Future” brought together federal and regional officials and experts to discuss a master plan that may become a model for other historic towns in Russia.

On December 15, Mayor Evgeny Borovskikh personally led an expert tour for leading specialists in urban planning, the creative economy, architecture, and cultural heritage conservation. Participants visited key heritage sites, including the former Yelets Tobacco Factory, the Women’s Gymnasium, and the Old Railway Station of Yelets–Syzran–Vyazma.

The next day, a press briefing was held with Senator Evgenia Uvarkina and Mayor Borovskikh.

Senator Uvarkina, the initiator of the strategic session, emphasized the significance of the project: “The strategic session is the next step in advancing the large-scale cultural heritage restoration initiative in Yelets. The tobacco factory is its main focal point. With its cultural and historical assets, Yelets can and should become the cultural and tourist capital of the Black Earth Region. Today we gathered high-level experts to jointly develop a roadmap and determine the functions and tools needed to launch the factory and surrounding heritage sites. The factory alone includes 26 heritage objects, and the central part of Yelets contains more than 50.”

She also noted that work is underway to include Yelets’ heritage sites in the list of 1,000 objects to be restored by 2030, under President Vladimir Putin’s directive. These projects will be eligible for preferential loans (at rates up to 7%).

Mayor Borovskikh emphasized the importance of engaging business and the expert community: “We need consensus between government and business to ensure heritage sites are not left to deteriorate but restored. Today’s session brings together business, regulators, local authorities, federal legislators, and restoration experts.”

The panel discussion “Current State, Challenges, and Prospects of the Yelets Urban District” followed. Experts shared opinions on the city’s identity, heritage preservation, tourism opportunities, and public spaces. Speakers included Narine Tyutcheva, Dmitry Solovyov, and Kirill Puzanov.

Yelets features an intact historic fabric with 332 heritage sites, 11 of federal importance. Experts see strong tourism potential. The former tobacco factory, a mid-19th-century landmark, was a major focus of discussion.

The session concluded with an Expert Round Table on best master-planning practices for small historic towns. The event highlighted cutting-edge research and approaches to preserving and enhancing the identity of Russia’s historic settlements. The opening report was delivered by Olga Gritsan. Other speakers included Yulia Stepantsova, Alexander Ivakin, Alexander Poduskov, and Inna Krylova.

Insights from the session will inform the future development direction of Yelets and support the preparation of the Terms of Reference for the city’s master plan, aimed at balanced territorial development, increased investment, and improved quality of life.

The session was organized by the “CENTER” Agency with support from the Lipetsk Region Government and the Yelets Administration.
According to Sergey Georgievsky, co-founder of “CENTER” the Yelets experience can become a national model: “Yelets is a fascinating city, especially due to the number of heritage sites preserved here. Many Russian cities now develop master plans, but there is no model master plan for a small historic town—one that accounts for its constraints and unique features. Yelets could provide the foundation for such a model.”

The idea was supported by Senator Evgenia Uvarkina, as she reported in her Telegram channel following the Strategic Session (https://t.me/uvarkina_evgenia/2884). Plans also include, for example, the development of craft workshops in Yelets; promotion of the loft format (apartments and rental housing for top managers and employees of industrial enterprises at the Yelets site of the Lipetsk SEZ); and the organization of major federal festivals and forums.

It was decided to hold the next meeting with residents and entrepreneurs in February to consolidate the results of the past session and to work out tourist routes.