The influence of Moscow and Leningrad on the compositional organization of residential quarters in Yaroslavl in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

Introduction. The article shows the relevance of studying compositional techniques applied to residential areas in provincial cities in relation to the unfolding program of housing renovation and reconstruction of historical centres of cities. Despite a significant amount of research on various aspects of Soviet urban planning and domestic architecture of the period under review, the local research, focused on the development of particular cities in comparison with the architectural practice of the capital is in demand in both domestic and foreign architectural studies. Materials and methods. The step-by-step comparison of the Yaroslavl domestic architecture, dating back to the 20ies and 30ies of the 20th century, is compared with the one of Moscow and Leningrad to identify the features characterizing the formation of compositional techniques applied to residential areas in Yaroslavl. Results. The study highlights several stages in the evolution of residential development in Yaroslavl. It is shown that the first stage gravitated towards the Moscow practice characterized by a somewhat mechanistic approach to filling the territory of a quarter. The second stage, which dates back to the end of the first five-year plan, was characterized by a new function of domestic architecture as a limiting controller of central urban spaces. Further stages are focused on the task of developing approaches to the preservation of the valuable historical legacy in the context of reconstruction of central neighbourhoods. Conclusions. The article shows the features of the Yaroslavl architecture at each stage, and conclusions are made about the extent and nature of influence produced by the Moscow and Leningrad schools. There are unique approaches to the compositional organization of residential quarters built both on vacant land plots and in the central neighbourhoods of the city that accommodates a valuable historical heritage.