Urban Forests in Moscow

URBAN FORESTS IN MOSCOW

UDS – STeDe 2013 – K.Mazur

General Plan 1935 (V. Semenov et

al)

http://www.alyoshin.ru/Files/publika/khan_archi/khan_archi_2_058.html

Outline of General Plan

(1930)

Correct principles of city

growth (Howard, 1902)

Howard E. (1902) Garden Cities of To-morrow [Online]

http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/howard.htm

Accessed May 5, 2013

Sokol Garden City (1923)

http://openmoscow.ru/sokol-posyolok.php

New vs. old housing for proletariat

http://www.alyoshin.ru/Files/publika/khan_archi

Panorama of Stalin Park (Izmailovo)

http://www.alyoshin.ru/Files/publika/khan_archi

Linking of urban forests by green

avenues

http://www.alyoshin.ru/Files/publika/khan_archi

The influence of trees on buildings

typologies

Altitudinal layering

Moscow University

http://www.alyoshin.ru/Files_ph/publika/belousov/56.ht

ml

http://metliar.ucoz.ru/photo/priroda/lesa_verkhushki_v_tumane/3-0-43

Spruce forest

Wambecq, W. (2013) Forest Urbanism: Towards a Sustainable Territory of Dispersion.

Presentation given on the14/03/2013 in KU Leuven

What is a greenbelt?

“Narrow strip of parkland more or less encircling part of a built-up metropolitan or large urban area” (Osborn, F.J., 1969)

“A zone of land around the city where building development is severely restricted” (Amati, M., Yokohari, M., 2006) http://www.etomesto.ru/karta141/

MOSCOW GREENBELT AS

PALIMPSEST

Historical rhythms: evidence of former uses:

Natural virgin forest

Hunting land for nobility

Agricultural use for peasants

Manor parks

Recreation

After-war recovery (voids filled-in with pine plantings)

Fragmentation and destruction (suburban sprawl, roads bisecting the forest, dachas, retail and warehouses, peat bog fires 2010)

It seems to me that equal attention should be paid to the

geographical nature of the site and to the components that bring to

mind history.

M.Desvigne 2009 Intermediate Natures

Reading the underlying layer

Structural Function of Greenbelt:

1935 2013Extension of the city,

inclusion of new territories, agricultural lands

Limit to city’s growth, too tight borders

CONTINUOUS BELT+WEDGES FRAGMENTATION;

REMNANTS

http://www.etomesto.ru/karta141/http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2013/jun/11/sat

ellite-eye-in-pictures

Functions of Moscow green belt

Ecological

Economic

Social

Structural

Ecological corridor, space of

decompression, climate improvement,

water and soil protection, air quality

improvement

Proximity of forest increases land value –

growth of housing and dachas near forests

– fragmentation of forest – decrease of land

value

Recreation, forests as places of worship for

pagans, space of decompression

Controlled readable space in contrast to rural-

urban fringe often lacking interrelation

between actual city and rural area, lacking

determination, status, they often serve as

sieves for pollution, disdain and

undermaintenance; limit to growth

Greenbelt failures

High pressures and hunger

for urban land

High maintenance costs vs.

falling public budgets

Ageing forests

Diseases (e.g. bark beetle)

Poor legislation

Political decisions

http://w

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-beetle

Fragmentation

• Illegal construction of

housing and dachas

• Large retail complexes +

warehouses

• Roads and infrastructure

(e.g. highway in Khimki)

• Peat bog fires 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2013/jun/11/satellite-eye-in-pictureshttp://www.vedomosti.ru/tnews/news/30

32/kartashema_lesoparkovogo_zaschitn

ogo_kompleksa_moskvy

Lyubertsy and Mytischi district

forest loss during 1991-2001

• Losses of forested land from 17 to 29% (not incl.new trees

growth)

• Conversion of urban forest into housing and commercial uses 14,6%

Traditional Russian Izba

http://rosswolfe.wordpress.com/#jp-carousel-5133

B.Pasternak’s Dacha in Peredelkino

http://www.svoboda.org/content/article/24713789.html

Dacha today

Orchards

Vegetable

patches

Greenhouses

http://komikz.ru/news/society/?id=3130

Scale of fragmentation