Almaty is a city that was planned and influenced by soviet architecture and urban planning. It was planned by a soviet school of planning as a “green city” with wide streets and the big amount of plants.
Since the end of the soviet era, Almaty has got many changes in city’s pace of life, wich becomes faster. but the structure of the streets mostly remains the same. at the same time, there is a tendency to solve traffic problems by shifting pedestrians to underground or upper ground pedestrian lanes.
that causes depressive atmosphere in the city for pedestrians (who mostly are old people and children).
that causes depressive atmosphere in the city for pedestrians (who mostly are old people and children).
As project site was taken one of the most problematic junctions in the city. in soviet Almaty this territory was a place for “exhibition of achievements of the national economy” (common for soviet city’s ensemble of exhibition and trade spaces) with 5 arcs entrance.
In this project a square above the arcs is proposed to become a pedestrian zone, whilst the parking is proposed to shift to an underground level. Timiryazev street will become wider with 4 car lines (in both directions) and 2 bus and tram lines for social transport. This site’s problems came up not because of the high pedestrian stream, which requires building up the under or upper ground pedestrian crossroad. pedestrians are not a problem in a city, because pedestrians are molecules of a city organism, with what city becomes alive and what makes it develop.
That’s why constructing the upper or underground pedestrian crossroads on this site is not a solution of these problems. The real problem is that not Timiryazev street, nor Auezov street correspond to modern traffic and city rhythm. So we need better to think how to solve the problems with cars, instead of thinking of pedestrians as a problem.
There are two variants of solving problems of the site by this project. Two variants both have same zoning and transport scheme, but the plans are different.
The first variant has a shading on the top that turns to a sitting area and also creates (along with the scene that exists on the site) place for mini-lections. The second variant is open - without shadings - and it opens a view to the arcs and mountains.
There are two variants of solving problems of the site by this project. Two variants both have same zoning and transport scheme, but the plans are different.
The first variant has a shading on the top that turns to a sitting area and also creates (along with the scene that exists on the site) place for mini-lections. The second variant is open - without shadings - and it opens a view to the arcs and mountains.
