Residential Area or Waterfront: Kransnoyarsk Residents Choose Sites for Renovation
Rewritten Article
Every year, Russians cast annual votes for urban development projects: any citizen can pick a spot they'd like to see transformed, cleaned, and maintained. In Krasnoyarsk, nearly 90 parks, squares, and waterfronts made it to the ballot, with one-third of them getting makeovers next year.
This nationwide online vote is part of the "Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment" program under the national project "Infrastructure for Life," carried out following the President's decision. The Krasnoyarsk region has 24 participating municipalities – all cities, along with settlements with over 10,000 residents, including Berezovka, Shushchenskoe, Yemelyanovo, and Kuragino.
The ballot features 88 projects, ranging from large, well-known parks to tiny ones. Those receiving the most votes will be upgraded the following year.
Deputy Minister of Construction and Utilities of Krasnoyarsk, Irina Kotelnikova, predicts around 30 to 35 locations will emerge as winners.
"Last year, we undertook extensive preparations, inventoried public spaces across the region, and this year, we've provided projects in need of attention for your consideration. Typically, people tend to choose locations close to home, within walking distance. Large-scale projects, often referred to as weekend destinations, are also popular, particularly on weekends and holidays. However, for daily recreation, people prefer locations closer to home, where they can relax after work or when picking up kids from school", she explains.
In Krasnoyarsk, 14 locations are available for voting, with two representing each district. Half of the selected locations will be addressed in the revitalization plan.
For instance, some proposed revitalization locations include three waterfronts: the Yenisey embankment from the October Bridge to house number 12 on Severnyi Proezd, the lake embankment between residential buildings Nos. 17-49 located on ul. Lesoparkovaya, and the Kacha embankment from the Yudin Bridge to ul. Veinbauma. Seven parks are also up for revitalization, with one to two per district.
Oktiabrskii, however, is an exception – it proposes refurbishing the Yenisey embankment and the plaza before "The Cultural Center at High Ground" (formerly Gorky Park).
All proposed locations were chosen from a list of over 300 options and approved by the Urban Development Commission.
The chosen locations were determined through analyses of resident requests, assessments of district Plazas, and adherance to principles of comprehensive urban development.
Let's not forget that, following citizen votes in the city last year, projects like the Vitkevich embankment, the Chernobyl Heroes Alley on Prospect Komsoomolskiy, the Bugach embankment, the ozero embankment on ul. Sudostroitel’naya, and many other urban gems will be revitalized this year.
"Over several years, residents of the Krasnoyarsk region have participated in urban development discussions. Public interest continues to grow because the results are tangible and easily noticed – this year, we vote; next year, they bloom. It's crucial that parks, squares, and waterfronts are created using modern technologies, offer multi-functionality, yet aim to preserve the historical visage of our cities and settlements. Urban development is a systematic, daily process in which residents participate equally with local and regional authorities", remarks Governor Mikhail Kotyukov.
Since the first vote in 2021, the number of participants has indeed grown. For instance, in the first round, around 200,000 people participated, whereas in the second year, the number reached 324,000, and in 2024, 376,000. It's expected that this year, the number of voters will increase even further.
The vote will end on June 12th, and any Krasnoyarsk resident over 14 years old can cast their ballot on the Gov. services website. Since participation on the government platform is verified, voters cannot cast multiple ballots or pay someone to do so.
With the weather warming, volunteers will soon be back in public spaces to help anyone wishing to participate in the vote, explain its purpose, and provide instructions. During the 2024 vote across the region, over 3400 volunteers participated. It's likely that this year, the number of volunteers will increase.
Photos provided by the Krasnoyarsk region's press service.
Insights: Although the provided search results do not explicitly discuss the Krasnoyarsk region's public voting processes, insights from other Russian urban development projects and electoral innovations can imply potential mechanisms:
- Project Prioritization: Large-scale projects align with voter-approved priorities, as seen in Kemerovo's initiative to construct 3.4 million m² of housing[3].
- Resource Allocation: Voting likely directs funding toward regions with the most pressing needs or visible public support, as evidenced by the emphasis on centralized infrastructure in underdeveloped areas[3].
- Accountability: Public voting creates political pressure to deliver results, as observed in SUSU’s election-monitoring chatbot, which emphasizes transparency and real-time feedback in decision-making[1].
However, these patterns suggest that, while prioritizing local needs, the Krasnoyarsk voting likely considers federal priorities and uses feedback mechanisms to ensure project feasibility and alignment with federal initiatives, like the All-Russian Municipal "Service" award[3].
- The upcoming voting in Krasnoyarsk for urban development projects is part of the 'Infrastructure for Life' national project, with the 'Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment' program.
- Citizens in the Krasnoyarsk region can vote for locations they'd like to see transformed, cleaned, and maintained, with 88 projects on the ballot, ranging from parks to waterfronts.
- The 'lifestyle' section of the news might cover the voting process, focusing on outdoor-living and home-and-garden improvements, particularly in relation to the projects receiving the most votes.
- The number of participants in the Krasnoyarsk public voting process has increased over the years, with 324,000 people voting in the second year, and an expected increase for the current year.
