about:blank

Client

UNLOCKING MOSCOW’S URBAN City of Moscow

TREASURES Team
Henriette Vamberg
Jan Gehl
Ola Gustafsson
Solvejg Reigstad

Location

Date
2011–13
Moscow is incredibly rich in cultural heritage and
natural beauty, but these assets have been placed
at risk by exploding traffic and the unprecedented
levels of demolition and construction of recent
decades. So when Moscow’s City Government
Minister for the Environment, Anton Kulbachevskiy,
heard Jan Gehl talk at a sustainable city
conference in Montreal in 2011, he had no doubt:
‘We need exactly what you do’. Which is how our
partnership with Moscow’s City Planning
Department, GenPlan, began.

Taking the Pulse of the City

The first step in our work in Moscow was to do a health check – our trademark Public
Space/Public Life survey and analysis. We discovered a city packed with potential. There
are broad boulevards, wide rivers and canals, as well as great forests and parks close to
the city centre. But one of the key revelations of our survey of Moscow was that many
parts of the city were difficult to move through for pedestrians. For example, heritage
squares in the city centre had become islands cut off by traffic, the city’s beautiful parks
were shut off by fences and had too few entrances, and highways which ploughed
through the city center had limited pedestrian crossings.

The city is compact and its natural assets within walking distance, but getting anywhere
on foot can be a struggle. Even for short distances, it’s often easier to take the
overcrowded metro. To offer the people of Moscow more choice in how they move around
their city, we focussed our energies on strategies that could make the streets easier to
navigate and walk around.

In city after city worldwide we’ve seen that improving conditions for life on foot is a
direct and sound investment in public health. Just 2×15 minutes walking a day can
contribute significantly to the minimum of physical activity we need. Plus, the connection
between access to green and blue urban spaces and the overall health of the population
is well documented. Moscow is rich in both green and blue amenities, but needed a
vision to help people access and enjoy them.

1 of 4 6/14/16, 17:35
 about:blank

The Pathway to Recovery

During the Public Space/Public Life survey in Moscow’s city center, we observed that
pedestrians face similar challenges throughout the areas of the city that we studied. By
surveying, analyzing and developing strategies to meet these challenges in specific
streets, squares and parks, it was possible for us to illustrate how even small changes
to the urban environment could easily transform Moscow into a walkable and generously
livable city.

For example, the Public Space / Public Life report describes how Moscow’s Boulevard
ring is a green ribbon surrounding the inner city of Moscow: the recommendations
included in the report point towards how to emphasize this ring as a continuous, green
connection for pedestrians. Parks are the lungs of the city, and Moscow has lots of green
spaces that can be made accessible by redesigning the streets for walkability. The
riverfront is another huge asset, but 93% of it is currently occupied by a congested
highway, leaving only 7% for people whose path to the water is blocked by cars. A key
element in envisioning a city that fulfills its natural potential is our proposal of a River
Park that celebrates the waterfront with continuous walkways where people can stroll,
relax and enjoy the view.

The riverfront is another huge asset, but 93% of it is

currently occupied by a congested highway, leaving
only 7% for people whose path to the water is blocked
by cars.

The City is waking up to the needs of its people, and has already turned Gorky Park into
a thriving public space with sports facilities, cafés, gardens and outdoor tribunes. Every
day thousands of people gather at this formerly derelict amusement park, proving that
Moscow’s citizens are interested and eager to spend time in public spaces.

2 of 4 6/14/16, 17:35
 about:blank

Stepping into the Future

The recommendations for creating a radically better balance between cars and people in
our 2013 report represent concrete steps on the path to more sustainable planning. And
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and his team are taking them seriously. Change is happening –
and fast. Whereas at the time of our survey parked cars more than halved sidewalks,
parking bans have since been effectively enforced, opening paths for people on foot. And
the visual clutter of signs and billboards has been removed, creating new views and
vistas and unveiling the beauty of the city’s many treasures.

Heritage squares have been cleared of parking too, ready for the next stage of making
them into places for people. Here steps are already underway, creating more greenery
and benches for people to sit on to enjoy a new perspective on their city. And there’s

3 of 4 6/14/16, 17:35
 about:blank

much more in store. In the fall of 2013 our report ‘Moscow: Towards a Great City for
People’ was made into a street exhibition in the city center, sharing Gehl’s findings,
ideas and visions with the people of Moscow – bringing them on board in a process of
change for the future the City of Moscow is already taking concrete steps to make
happen.

4 of 4 6/14/16, 17:35