DVORULITSA* Yardstreet
Superpark Project , 2015 - ongoingThe yardstreet is a project dedicated to consistent and seamless development of the residential districts of Moscow and to transforming its periphery into a Superpark*.
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*The concept of the Superpark — or “new land” — is an alternative image of the Moscow periphery, introduced in the study Archaeology of the Periphery, 2013.
The yardstreet is the space between apartment houses in large blocks (hyperblocks) on the city periphery. Previously empty and unkempt, it is now reorganized, comfortable, and with a clear purpose.
It is both a yard and a street. On the one hand, it is a place where you would want to go to spend some leisure time outdoors; on the other, it is a network of walking routes, passing through the blocks and integrating the district into a cohesive whole. The yardstreet is a yard for an entire block, but also a street for each of its houses.
The underlying concept of the project is the seamless development and renovation of the existing residential environment, involving subtle, efficient transformations—the “thawing” concept.
Thawing means creating a new space in the city, gradually establishing its shape and character through a careful analysis of the environment. Yardstreets adapt to the particularities of each individual block and adopt the residents’ usage patterns of its open space.
The yardstreet brings out the potential of residential districts, while preserving the best features of the city periphery: it is quiet, tranquil, spacious, and green. The abundance of open, accessible space facilitates the development of infrastructure and pedestrian connections and allows to remedy the lack of streets and necessary amenities.
The ability of the yardstreets to form a cohesive network makes it possible to achieve a large-scale impact through the local approach towards urban space. The yardstreet is the main component of the new masterplan and the uniform development strategy for the entire periphery; it is a key element of the superpark.
With a uniform thawing strategy, Moscow’s periphery will be able to develop consistently, acquiring greater value and becoming an integral part of the city, a coherent and permeable public space—the superpark.
The routes established by the yardstreets will increase local pedestrian connectivity as well as the overall accessibility and permeability of the urban space, forming pedestrian flows. With the added possibility of renting small pavilions, this will promote the development of a variety of services and small businesses in the heart of residential area, meeting the residents’ demand. The inevitable changes in the demarcation system and the land ownership structure will allow the residents of the block to dispose of the land around their house independently, take charge of it, and participate in the management processes.
As a result, residential districts will remain green and spacious, while also becoming more amenity-rich, more convenient, and safe. The urban space and land will be used more efficiently; and the city will obtain new mechanisms for their capitalization. The residential environment will be able to easily adapt to any changes, ensuring the sustainable development of a new, polycentric city.
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The concept of the hybrid space typology — the yardstreet — and the thawing method was conceived in the Meganom Studio diploma project at MArchI in 2015–2016.
The project was further elaborated within the framework of the research program of the Studio, continuing a series of projects and studies dedicated to Moscow: Green River (2008), Old Moscow. The Inventory (2011), and Archaeology of the Periphery (2013).
In May 2017, the project was presented at the annual Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle and then continued its development as an independent company. In the fall of 2017, the Yardstreet Project, in consortium with the Meganom Studio, the Genplan Institute of Moscow, and the Habidatum, took part in the competition for the renovation of the Golovinsky district in Moscow.
The project is currently in progress.
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Yardstreet © 2018
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