Press Release, 30.11.2020

The first design code in the Leningrad Region that will change the look of the city will be developed in the city of Murino, which borders on St. Petersburg. This was announced on 26 November by Dmitry Kuzmin, head of the Murino urban settlement and a member of the Yabloko party, during the launch of the project.

“A design code is an illustrated set of design rules, recommendations and requirements for the physical development of a city, its outlook, and the urban environment. We came up with the idea to implement this project due to the fact that the popularity of ergonomic and beautiful public spaces, as well as such city streets, has grown sufficiently among residents. And a full-fledged design code has become really in demand among the population,” he said.

According to Kuzmin, the creation of a design code will distinguish Murino from all other cities in Russia.

In particular, it is planned to establish uniform requirements for signboards, advertising structures, elements of the urban environment (bus stops, lamps, parking lots, etc.), various signs, as well as urban furniture: playgrounds, benches, sports equipment, etc.

To develop a design code, a sociological, cultural and historical study of the area will be carried out. Residents of the city will also be involved in the creation of the design code.

According to Yekaterina Manzhula, head of the Competence Centre of the Leningrad Region on the formation of a comfortable urban environment (which develops the design code), the project will reveal the uniqueness and beauty of the city. “Implementation of a design code is a complex process that requires the ability to negotiate between different stakeholders, population groups, businesses and authorities. It is good that in Murino they came to this understanding quite quickly, everyone realises the need to negotiate from the get-go,” she said.

Murino is located in the Vsevolozhsk district of the Leningrad region, it borders on St. Petersburg, 42,300 people are registered in the city, however, according to local authorities, about 100,000 people live in the city. In the 2019 municipal elections, candidates from Yabloko took 13 out of 20 seats in the Murino Council of Deputies.

Based on the TASS publication