According to statistics, more than 70% of the Russian population are city dwellers. The desire to move to the city from the countryside or to change the regional center to the capital visits many. The reasons may differ, but most often you can hear: “there are more opportunities”, “better education”, “you can find a good job and a decent income”, “it is more comfortable to live”. The last argument is directly related to the characteristics of the urban environment.
Urban environment: which definition is correct?
Today there are several of them, from everyday to scientific. Which is not surprising, because the urban environment is a whole complex of elements. And unlike natural systems, it has a number of specific features. The urban environment is everything that creates the image of a settlement and fundamentally affects the lifestyle of its inhabitants. It depends on her how much a person likes to live specifically here.
If we take a scientific definition, then the urban environment is understood as a combination within the boundaries of a particular settlement of the correspondingconditions created by nature and man and affecting the quality of life of its inhabitants. It can also be said that this is a combination of economic, natural, technogenic, informational, social conditions that have developed on the territory of the city.
Basic elements
The structure of the surrounding space, as a rule, is determined by the needs of residents. Among the priorities: safety, physiological parameters (air, noise, light), social (communicative). Thus, the urban environment is a series of key components:
- resources (land, water, air, climate);
- real estate;
- infrastructure;
- landscape diversity;
- criminogenic situation;
- consumer market;
- social services.
The balance of these elements determines how much the locality will be in demand and competitive.
Comfortable living environment
Not every city is convenient for living. Many moments are individual, for someone, first of all, the presence of greenery and trees is important, for others - good roads. But in general, the rules by which a comfortable urban environment is formed are similar:
- a decent level of consumer services (water supply, heating, electrification, garbage disposal);
- balanced infrastructure (a combination of various types of ground and underground transport, an adequate level of traffic, the presence of large transfer hubs, meeting the needs of both motorists and pedestrians,good condition of roads, availability of sidewalks and bike paths);
- opportunities for unhindered movement of various categories of citizens, including people with limited mobility;
- competent zoning (one that avoids the daily "pendulum migration" of passengers, providing for a well-thought-out organization of living space, not too high a level of population density);
- adequate level of noise and information "pollution";
- the ability to meet the social, cultural, educational, recreational needs of citizens (sufficient number of parks, recreation areas, architecture and art objects, educational institutions, commercial establishments, etc.).
The specifics of the surrounding space
The "face" of a settlement can be both typical and bear signs of individuality. Therefore, a significant direction in the development of the modern urban environment is the competent modification of the landscape. The starting point in this case is the formed territorial image. You can, for example, distinguish the following types of cities:
- with an established historical center;
- based on urban complexes of the Soviet era;
- consisting mainly of standard buildings;
- purposefully shaping and developing downtown and residential areas.
Despite the rich experience of Western urbanists, the process of modernization of Russian cities does not always go wellsmooth. In most settlements, the following remain: rigid zoning (residential, business districts), typical block design, non-compliance with modern standards for the construction of housing and adjacent territories, growth “in breadth” due to sleeping areas on the outskirts.
City and Ecology
In the course of the formation of the urban environment, maintaining the necessary ecological balance remains an urgent problem. Ill-conceived development patterns lead to threats to the he alth of residents. Unfortunately, more than 15% of Russian cities are classified as areas with unfavorable environmental conditions. Therefore, today the process of developing the urban environment should be based on:
- control over the use of natural resources;
- application of modern industrial technologies and cleaning systems;
- banning the placement of toxic waste near settlements, forest park areas;
- rational and functional zoning;
- an established system for the removal, storage, disposal or processing of household and municipal waste;
- creating additional green spaces, including those with limited use;
- environmental education and public education.
The negative impact on the environment has long ceased to be perceived as an inevitable companion of the development of civilization. The current level of technology development makes it possible to effectively combine fundamental urban construction and production with minimal impact on the environment.environment.
Intangible Environment
The image of a place of residence is formed not only from architectural ensembles or transport branches. The urban environment is also the emotional perception of residents. According to experts, the environment has a significant impact on the psychological state of a person. Illiterate design of the urban environment leads to stress, apathy, and a decrease in emotional tone. In recent decades, a special discipline has even appeared that studies these phenomena - psychogeography. To be psychologically comfortable, the urban environment must meet several requirements:
- aesthetic;
- outer variety;
- combination of novelty and tradition;
- presence of landmarks;
- balance of light and noise background;
- security;
- predictability;
- harmony of architectural scale.
Services and leisure
Saving and increasing the population of a particular city largely depends on the products and opportunities that it can offer its residents. Providing a high-quality and wide range of services and leisure options contributes to the formation of a high rating of the settlement. These include:
- information infrastructure;
- shopping space;
- cultural objects;
- hotel complexes;
- catering establishments;
- institutions providing social services;
- recreational areas;
- entertainment facilities.
Urban shaping programs
For the success of urbanization processes, a system-targeted approach is needed. Therefore, special attention is now being paid to programs for the formation of a modern urban environment. To date, a number of projects have been launched.
At the very end of 2016, the implementation of the federal program "Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment" began. Its main task is the improvement of settlements, taking into account the opinions of residents. By 2020, it is planned to implement 400 large-scale projects to improve the comfort of the urban environment, to train at least 2,000 specialists. The program includes:
- involving the public in the discussion of major events;
- adoption of new landscaping rules;
- optimization of the system of landscaping, lighting, cleaning;
- equipment for sports and playgrounds;
- beautification of public spaces and facilities (according to the results of surveys of residents);
- building a register of best practices.
Recently, the Smart City project was launched, aimed at optimizing infrastructure management through the introduction of modern digital technologies. Among the priority goals are supporting the sustainable development of the urban environment and improving the quality of life through the digital transformation of the economic sector (smart technologies in accounting for utility resources).
