In Vitebsk, concepts for the detailed plan of the central part of the regional center and the adjustment of the general plan of Polotsk were discussed

An expanded meeting of the regional architectural and urban planning council was held at the Vitebsk City Executive Committee. Interested departments and services discussed the concepts for the detailed plan of the central part of the regional center and the adjustments to the general plan of Polotsk. Leonid Loparevich, Head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Committee for Architecture and Construction of the Regional Executive Committee, spoke about which ideas received expert approval.

— A city is not just residential blocks, roads, and utilities, but also a kind of organism that grows and develops. And the harmonious functioning of a settlement depends on how competently urban planning policy is conducted. Leonid Evgenievich, what new public facilities are planned to be built?

— It should be noted that the detailed plan for the central part of Vitebsk and the adjustment of the general plan of Polotsk were developed by UP "BelNIIPgradostroitelstvo". In accordance with it, the central building of Smolensk Market and the greenhouse in the Botanical Garden are planned for reconstruction in the northern capital. The new KGB building and the Palace of Marriage Registration will be completed. Near the amphitheater, an "American roller coaster" attraction will appear, and near the drama theater – an archaeological museum and a restaurant. Museum zones of Pen, Chagall, Lissitzky, and UNOVIS will be formed on Pravdy Street. On Srednenaberezhnaya Street, a masters' street and the "Shagaliya" socio-cultural zone in the style of the late 19th – early 20th centuries with shops, exhibition halls, workshops, conference rooms, training centers, hotels, and hostels will be created. Budennogo Street will be transformed by the construction of the "Gippo" shopping center and a large sports and recreation complex. A "Radzivillovsky" shopping and entertainment center will appear in the central part of the city. It is also planned to reconstruct the Governor's Palace and the Governor's Square. Fragments of the fortress walls and defensive towers of the Upper Castle near Millennium Square will be revived, preserving the continuity of urban planning solutions with the possibility of recreating lost structures. This will allow linking the historical buildings of the center of Vitebsk into a single architectural ensemble and restoring the city's unique appearance formed over centuries. In Polotsk, the territory of the Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Convent will be expanded. In the area of the Mound of Immortality, the formation of a public zone for mass events has been approved. In addition, it is planned to create a multifunctional industrial and business district Borovukha-2 in the city by reconstructing the territory of military town No. 5.

— What are the prospects for housing construction development?

— The construction of new apartment buildings and kindergartens in the northern capital, as well as the expansion of a preschool institution on General Ludnikov Street, have been approved. Low-rise developments with car-free courtyards are expected to be formed. The construction of a new residential area near Budenny Street will involve the removal of some railway tracks. Apartment buildings will also appear in Polotsk, extending the currently developing Airport and Borovukha-3 districts. Individual housing will be built near the dairy plant and Schmidt, Promyshlennaya, and Spasskaya streets, along Gagarin and Trosnitskaya streets, beyond Kozyanki village, and in the areas of Belchitsa, Ekimany, and Bogatyrskaya villages. Incidentally, these settlements, along with Yuzhnaya and Kozyanki, will be incorporated into the city limits by 2020.

— The construction of new facilities will likely require the improvement of the road and transport network and service and parking infrastructure. What steps will be taken in this direction?

— To improve the transport situation in Vitebsk, a northern bypass is planned, running tangent to the city center – Titov Street – Leningradskaya, Proektiruemaya-1, Chekhov, Gorovtsa, Gagarin streets – with a bridge crossing over the Western Dvina River and an overpass over the railway. The eastern semi-ring – Tereshkova and P. Brovki streets – with an exit to Gagarin Street, is also set to be developed. The reconstruction of the overpass on M. Gorky and General Beloborodov streets is planned. The construction of underground pedestrian crossings in the areas of Gapeev Ruchey, on Lenin Street, and Frunze Avenue is scheduled. Land is being allocated for the construction of a cable car across the Western Dvina River. Open parking lots and multi-story parking garages will be created. All of this will help relieve traffic congestion in the center of Vitebsk, increase the capacity and reliability of the existing transport network through its reconstruction, and create alternative routes.

— Will new landscape solutions be developed?

— Undoubtedly. The main compositional axis in the northern capital will be the embankment zones of the Western Dvina and Vitba rivers and streams, as well as city squares and boulevards. By the way, the completion of the construction of a water amphitheater with LED devices for decoration in the dark is expected on the bank of the Western Dvina. Frunze Park will be updated, which is planned to be equipped with playgrounds for games, entertainment, and active sports.

— Before the implementation of the plan begins, the projects considered at the meeting of the regional architectural and urban planning council must be studied in detail.

— Undoubtedly. They undergo a series of examinations — environmental, sanitary-hygienic, state, as well as public discussion. It is worth noting that both plans represent a strategy for the development of urban areas. Projects approved in the prescribed manner are the basis for local authorities, if financial resources are available, to implement these solutions in stages. They will create conditions for comfortable living for the residents of Vitebsk and Polotsk, and increase the tourist attractiveness of these settlements. I believe that the planning and architectural-spatial elements will add new colors to the construction palette, which will enrich the emerging composition of the adjusted districts and give them a special zest corresponding to the status of the cities.

Olga Bulavka. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev, "Vitebskiye vesti".