Sociocultural Basis of Urban Planning Regulation for Public Open Spaces

The authors consider the problem of urban planning regulation of public open spaces from the perspective of their dominant role in the formation of a holistic socio-cultural structure of a city. Relevance of the study is determined by the modern demand for comfortable urban environment of the public open spaces, which has become the global urban planning trend in recent decades. The modern approach, promoted in the UN Charter and in federal and regional strategic development programs is aimed at increasing the emotional attachment of people to a place of living and fostering a sense of community. The improvement of public spaces should be based on the historical and cultural context, natural features, and the identity of a place. The implementation of numerous projects all over the country has revealed the flaws of urban planning regulations. This fact stimulated the emergence of targeted contests of applied research aimed at the development of new national and local regulations, standard architectural solutions which would provide high-quality development of the urban environment. Analysis of the approaches to public open space development reveals current trends in their planning regulation, which are considered in separate sections of the article. The first section explores the mechanisms which regulate the improvement of urban historical and cultural sites. It touches upon the problems of preservation of cultural heritage and the identification of landmark places. It also considers examples of the urban planning regulations for the areas of “historical urban regeneration” (Dresden, Ivanovo, Arkhangelsk, Voronezh, Belgorod) and the examples of completed projects in Siberian cities (Yeniseisk, Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk). The second section is devoted to the identification and preservation of unique natural elements and images of a place through the urban landscape zoning. Different approaches to solving issues of improvement and humanization of the living environment are considered using examples of Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, Krasnoyarsk. The third section presents a comparative analysis of existing Russian and foreign regulatory documents aimed at creating an environment of public open spaces in urbanized areas of a city. Of particular interest here are the methods of regulation that take into account functional content, development morphology, remoteness from city center, natural and socio-cultural characteristics, as well as those aimed at protecting the wildlife (Seattle, New York, Toronto, London, Victoria Australia). The socio-cultural phenomenon of public open spaces highlights the fundamental relationship between the quality of spatial environment and human consciousness, behavior, way of life. Therefore, a tailored approach to the creation of architectural and landscape planning regulations will allow to treat each public space substantively, preserving and maintaining the identity of the historical and cultural environment of a place.

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