Master Plans: Key to Sustainable Development of Historical Centers
On May 30–31, Voronezh hosted the largest professional event in architecture and urban development in Central Russia—the “Zodchestvo VRN” forum. Nikolay Timchenko, CEO of the Strategic Development Agency “CENTER” moderated a panel session titled “The Role of Master Plans in the Development of Historical Centers: How to Generate New Meanings While Preserving the Old.”
City centers, principles, and challenges in working with them were the main focus of this year’s forum. Within “Zodchestvo VRN,” sessions, discussions, and presentations were organized on topics such as creating in-demand new infrastructure in city centers, working with historical heritage, organizing transport mobility, developing small businesses, and public spaces.
"Master plans are developed for a wide range of cities, both with a clearly defined historical center and without one. Heritage sites may be fully or partially lost, and some industrial cities’ centers were mostly formed during the Soviet era or do not exist at all. A comprehensive approach to developing such areas, including through master planning tools, offers flexibility in choosing goals and methods for preserving this crucial part of any city while filling it with new functions," emphasized Nikolay Timchenko.
Panel Speakers:
Artem Demidov — Acting Deputy Governor of Kursk Region
Ksenia Titova — Executive Director of VEB Assets: New Solutions (Moscow)
Anna Lentz — Project Manager, KB Strelka (Moscow)
Dmitry Selivokhin — Head of the Strategic Development Center “Siberia,” Director of the Strategic Development Center North (Yugra, Tyumen)
Nikolay Kikava — Deputy Director, Moscow General Planning Institute
Fedor Konkov — Managing Partner, Institute of Territorial Planning “Urbanica” (Saint Petersburg)
During the session, participants examined master plan cases from Kursk, Tyumen, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, cities with very different historical centers.
Summing up the discussion, most participants agreed that master plans are a crucial tool for the sustainable development and preservation of historical centers. They help balance cultural heritage protection with modern needs, ensuring a harmonious coexistence of old and new in the urban environment.
Photo: Zodchestvo VRN