Modern Kyiv is experiencing hot times, when developers and local authorities are actively turning the capital into a concrete jungle. This causes a lot of indignation among residents and experts, who call for a more cautious approach to the development of the city.
A new residential microdistrict for 35,000 residents on the left bank of the Dnieper, between Bereznyaki and Osokorky, which can be seen from almost all corners of Kyiv, is another concrete proof that developers, with the permission of the authorities, continue to fill the city with wastelands without normal infrastructure, from which it is difficult to get out without a car (nowhere to park either), who have nowhere to hide in the heat, but which are so profitable to sell. What is wrong with this building, read in the analysis of the architect Oleg Grechuh published by the publication Texty.org.ua .
Windows on the railway bridge over the Dnipro with noisy freight trains, a six-lane highway under housing along the embankment, 13 buildings with 26 floors, about 5,000 apartments are not a miracle, but rather a standard urban planning proposal in Kyiv.
On the left bank of the Dnieper, another microdistrict was built for 35,000 residents without social and transport infrastructure.
Is it possible to build so that new residential neighborhoods become social magnets with comfortable public space, convenient infrastructure, so that it is comfortable to live in them, and not just to spend the night. How is it done in Poland? Why will the closed circle of Ukrainian urban planning problems, which is a consequence of Soviet construction regulations, not be broken?
Transport
In Kyiv, the number of residential projects that do not take into account the basic needs of transport and social infrastructure is increasing every year. For example, a residential quarter on the left bank of the Dnieper next to a railway bridge that serves goods transportation and a six-lane highway suffers from constant noise and gas pollution. In addition, due to restrictions on the movement of civilian cars on the Southern bridge, most of the transit traffic from the sleepy Darnytskyi district to the center goes through these microdistricts.
More than 750,000 residents live in this part of the city, which causes a traffic collapse. There is a lack of convenient public transport. And this only increases dependence on cars, which, in turn, increases the load on roads and the number of traffic jams.
Public transport is represented by two bus routes between metro stations, which move in transit at half-hourly intervals. There is not a single public transport stop along this microdistrict yet, and the urban planning documentation does not provide for it. The entire road infrastructure is built for the driver.
Building plan
A detailed development plan for this former industrial zone was approved in 2017. However, its main solutions do not meet the modern needs of residents.
In the process of transforming an industrial zone into a residential area, the road network inside and the railway tracks performed other functions - the transportation of raw materials and the removal of finished factory or factory products. A residential neighborhood needs a different network of streets that focus on public transport interchanges, infrastructure facilities (squares, squares, parks, shops, kindergartens, schools, medical facilities).
The detailed development plan for 35,000 residents provided for a change in the purpose of hundreds of hectares from the Dnipro to the depths of the industrial zone. Panel houses of 9-16 floors, typical for Soviet micro-district development, were built in it. This is how the residential areas of Poznyaka and Osokorka were built in the early 1990s.
The only difference is that Soviet building regulations provide for a traffic-free zone inside the neighborhood with a large school for 2,000 students in the center and two or three kindergartens. Of course, apartments in buildings had to be provided by the city/state, and schools, kindergartens, and polyclinics were built and maintained from the city budget.
According to the logic to which these still Soviet standards correspond, a person takes a child to kindergarten in the morning on the way to the public transport stop, and the child can go to school alone, because the nearest educational institution should be no more than 750 meters away on foot.
Economy in public space
Ukrainian building codes and urban planning regulations are still based on the Soviet legacy, which did not take into account market conditions and private property. This model was oriented towards a planned economy, where the state acted as the only developer, owner and administrator of the housing stock.
However, today private developers are not obliged to build schools, kindergartens, polyclinics and other social infrastructure in new neighborhoods. And they do not build, because it is much more profitable to build offices and apartments for sale.
And they save as much as possible on public space and convenient infrastructure around residential complexes, spending exactly as much as is necessary to gain an advantage over competitors. But since the demand for new housing in the capital is quite stable, too much effort is not being made. Because they buy anyway.
Glass and concrete
The complex is not inhabited yet, so it is not crowded on a working day. But a single patch planted with trees in the courtyard is not enough for so many apartments.
Infrastructure
The presence of shops, hairdressers, pharmacies and basic services in such residential neighborhoods is usually provided by rented premises on the first floors (and this is a key difference from the Soviet urban planning practice, which is also used in Europe).
The situation is much worse with a full-fledged public space.
In the quarter, designed for 35 thousand residents, there is only one private primary school and a private kindergarten, although the number of residents is comparable to the population of a small town. Perhaps somewhere on the lower floors there will even be private children's clubs or sections.
But the cost of school, kindergarten, and clubs is unlikely to be affordable for all residents. Those who rent space on the lower floors will pay commercial rents, competing for space with much more profitable businesses such as retail chains, pharmacies, coffee shops or wine shops.
Neighborhood residents who can't afford to pay or have middle school-aged children will travel to other neighborhoods. Most likely, on your own car.
This is an additional burden on city traffic and city social infrastructure. There is no full-fledged school, polyclinic and hospital in this area and there will not be, not to mention a library and a stadium. Because all these institutions, according to the current standards, need large free areas, outbuildings and sunlight, which is not enough on the lower floors of dense buildings.
Parking
The parking lot is only under the first phase of construction, there are enough spaces for two or three 26-story buildings out of thirteen. Other car owners will look elsewhere for parking, on public roads or in fire truck driveways.
Recreation
Despite its proximity to the Dnipro, the residential complex is separated from the embankment by a wide highway, through which there are no pedestrian crossings. This reduces the availability of recreational areas for residents: to spend time in nature, you still need to get to it somehow.
The width of the embankment is sometimes only 10-15 meters, there is too little space between the river and the highway to accommodate any infrastructure, service or leisure facilities.
There is only a narrow path two meters wide for walking along the water. If we do not take into account the Naberezhny park in the Berkivshchyna tract one and a half kilometers away, which was recently built with budget funds and which serves thousands of other residents, for whom there is an acute shortage of high-quality park infrastructure.
Ecology
One of the most acute challenges of modern construction in Kyiv is a careless attitude towards the environmental component. The Dnipro embankment, which could become the center of recreation and leisure in this area, remains difficult to access and poorly developed in terms of infrastructure.
There are no alternatives to central heating and powerful transformers, high electricity consumption for this Kyiv residential complex. It also in no way contributes to sustainable development, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, does not prevent, but, on the contrary, accelerates climate change.
There are also no bicycle paths that could connect the residential complex with the nearest metro stations.
Complete electrical dependence
In the conditions of war and shortage of electricity, high-rise buildings become unsuitable for a comfortable life. The blackout means the elevators stop, making life on high floors difficult for the elderly and disabled.
During power outages, it is impossible to cool the apartment with an air conditioner, use a refrigerator or an electric stove. There are no alternatives to the high consumption of electricity for this Kyiv residential complex.
It also does not contribute to sustainable development, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, does not prevent, but, on the contrary, accelerates climate change. Air conditioning costs will only increase over time. Windows, external structures of the house do not provide for a passive reduction of heating or cooling costs. There are no balconies, no shade canopies either. The higher it is from the ground, the hotter it is in the summer in the apartment. Cooling the 20th floor is much more expensive than the 3rd-4th.
A developed transport interchange, bridges, roads, public transport, high-quality engineering networks (electricity, water, heating networks), natural resources (parks, the Dnipro embankment), shops, hospitals, schools and kindergartens, a humane environment — all this could complement the square meters of residential real estate, but yet another example demonstrates that the practice of construction without infrastructure, despite everything, is gaining ever larger scales.
Comparison with Poland: what could be done better?
The experience of Poland shows that it is possible to build residential areas more humanely. Low-rise buildings, cascade solutions with variable floors and attention to space organization create comfortable living conditions. The first floors are occupied by shops and services, which reduces dependence on the car. Five or six floors are perceived much better in terms of scale and human height.
In the courtyards, there are fewer large areas completely paved with concrete paving stones, less asphalt, more chamber closed courtyards, where communities of neighbors are formed, who see each other more often, remember more often, and, accordingly, can solve management problems together, maintain the improvement and technical condition of buildings at a high level levels
Below in the photo gallery is an example of a convenient building in Poland. It is also a former industrial zone, the Rydlówka district in Krakow. Notice how much green there is in the yards. And that's for good reason. After all, greenery not only makes the air cleaner, but also lowers the temperature during abnormal heat in summer.
In neighboring Poland, the buyer votes with his wallet for a low-rise building that provides a cozy and pleasant environment. There are more small shops and services on the first floors, houses with five or six floors are perceived much better in terms of scale and human height
In neighboring Poland, the buyer votes with his wallet for a low-rise building that provides a cozy and pleasant environment. There are more small shops and services on the first floors, houses with five or six floors are perceived much better in terms of scale and human height
Green space. In Poland, more attention is paid to the creation of courtyards and green areas in residential areas, which helps residents feel closer to nature and interact more actively with each other.
Conclusions
The project of a residential quarter on the bank of the Dnieper in Kyiv is another example of a short-sighted urban planning policy that does not take into account the needs of residents in social infrastructure and comfortable transport connections. The lack of pedestrian areas, bicycle paths, insufficient number of schools and kindergartens make this area isolated and uncomfortable for life.
Is it the fault of the numerous inspectors and controllers who did not take care? Because building regulations are not so flexible as to cover up obvious violations with different interpretations. Is the city government, somehow elected by the residents, to blame? Are the authors of building regulations to blame, who, despite the huge number of prescribed prohibitions, developed documents according to which such construction is quite possible? Probably, everyone contributed to this.
In order to avoid such mistakes in the future, it is necessary to apply the principles of sustainable development: integrate public transport, create accessible recreational areas and plan buildings that will be energy efficient and convenient for all categories of the population.
Ukraine can adopt the experience of Poland, where low-rise buildings, more harmonious planning and the presence of green areas create favorable conditions for life.
Ukraine needs a thorough reform of building regulations, which will make it possible to adapt them to the new realities of the market and provide comfortable conditions for residents. The main areas of change should be the integration of ecological and energy-efficient standards and the regulation of building density.
- Integration of environmental and energy-efficient standards: modern building codes must provide for the mandatory use of technologies that reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. This will make it possible not only to increase the comfort of living, but also to reduce the impact on the climate.
- Building density regulation: height restrictions are required in some areas to ensure architectural diversity and avoid population overcrowding. It is worth paying attention to the harmonious combination of residential, commercial and recreational areas.
Oleg Grechuh
