River Beaches in Russian Cities: Examples of Soviet Legacy

Abstract

The diversity of urban heritage is determined by some national peculiarities of the development of cities and towns. In Russia, river beaches are common recreational elements of urban environments. Representative examples of such beaches from two cities, namely Rostov-on-Don and Cherepovets, are examined. This study utilizes both a qualitative approach for argumentation of heritage value and a semi-quantitative evaluation of aesthetic properties. It is argued that the urban river beaches are linked closely to the cities’ identities. They were created in the Soviet times when significant attention was paid to healthy lifestyle and rational planning in growing and industrialized urban areas. Two main findings are the potential historical heritage value of the urban river beaches of Russia, including two examples considered in this study, and their significant appeal to the visitors’ sense of beauty. Although Rostov-on-Don and Cherepovets represent very different natural and socio-economical environments, their river beaches are important in regard to the representation of the cities’ identities and aesthetics. This importance is a bit higher in the case of Rostov-on-Don. It is generally concluded that river beaches in Russian cities constitute potential, country-specific heritage, which seems to be a part of the Soviet legacy. Creating their national catalogue with GIS technologies is desirable.