Presentation of student improvement projects
Students from the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering took part in the "Lovely Neighbor" good-neighborhood festival. The festival was organized by the Terra management company and active residents of St Petersburg's Vasileostrovsky District in the courtyard of building No. 43–45 on Morskaya Embankment. Over 300 people attended the six-hour festival.
The event brought together district residents, professional community representatives, and students around the idea of creating a comfortable, eco-friendly urban environment that will promote the development of recreational spaces and the preservation of biodiversity in residential areas.
As part of the festival, students from the Department of Landscape Architecture presented an exhibition of landscape concepts, "Quarter of the Future," dedicated to the memory of Valery Anatolyevich Nefyodov, DSc in Architecture and Professor at St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The exhibition included student projects demonstrating modern approaches to the development of a residential area, taking into account the wishes of residents and current architectural and landscape trends.
The presented concepts are based on the idea of a comfortable and functional courtyard space, comparable in amenities to an apartment. The design solutions encompass the entire resident experience – from the entrance and stairwell to landscaped green areas with perennial flower arrangements, flowering trees, evergreen conifers, ornamental shrubs, and modern playgrounds.
The projects place particular emphasis on developing a unified design code for the urban environment. The proposed solutions foster the development of a local identity and formation of ecological and creative thinking among residents of all ages.
The Teacher's Garden, established during Valery Nefyodov's lifetime, became the focal point of the "Quarter of the Future." Nefyodov envisioned the garden as a therapeutic space maintained by local residents. This green oasis in the urban environment exemplifies the careful interaction between humans and nature.
As Svetlana Danilova, a PhD student in the SPbGASU Departmen of Urban Planning, a student of Valery Anatolyevich and co-organizer of the "Quarter of the Future" project, noted, the Teacher's Garden became a growth point for the entire quarter's development: "The way this space continues to thrive and attract people, their initiatives, and their creative energy is a crucial experience. This act of developing a territory with the participation of active residents and other stakeholders needs to be scaled up. Comfort shouldn't end when you leave your apartment: the opportunity to interact with nature near your home and experience the aesthetics and functional diversity of the urban environment directly impacts quality of life."
According to Svetlana Danilova, Valery Nefyodov's research and teaching were dedicated to finding a balance between urbanization and the city's natural environment. The architectural and landscape school he founded is based on high aesthetic design standards, an ecosystem-based approach to landscaping, and the use of modern technologies to improve the quality of the urban environment. The teachers of the SPbGASU Department of Landscape Architecture continue this outstanding scholar's ideas. Future landscape architects gain interdisciplinary competencies in botany, ecology, soil science, and chemistry, developing projects that align with the principles of sustainable development and contemporary societal demands for a safe, environmentally friendly, and attractive living environment.
