St. Petersburg Threatened by Development

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In the wake of recent scandals surrounding the Okhta Center and other large buildings resulting in the disfigurement of St. Petersburg's unique and precious architectural ensemble, a local organization has conducted an investigation into local construction practices, yielding intriguing results. The experts of the St. Petersburg Center for Environmental Expertise of the city's Society of Natural Scientists have long wondered how construction companies manage to get through the dense thicket of regulations in local construction policy.

The experts took their time attending court cases, studying paperwork on construction projects, and analyzing correspondence among officials, the public, and construction organizations. Their analysis of the claims construction companies use to achieve their goals found that the first justification companies typically give to officials in order to get hold of a much larger piece of land is, "the size of the plot is very limited."

This simple trick can be applied to just about anything, from a 600-square-meter slot for a cottage to a territory of several hectares – or several dozen hectares.

"If a company needs to be absolutely sure of obtaining a plot of the desired size, a more detailed explanation can be offered: a helipad is needed, or a medical center, or a curling rink," one of the center's experts told me.

Builders also complain about the "complicated geometrical shape" of the site, or exploit ecological concerns by trying to convince authorities that 60 percent of the territory will be occupied by a park.

Major development anywhere often carries a whiff of scandal or influence-peddling, but in many places there are checks and balances against these practices. Reformers can run for office unhindered – and sometimes win. But, as Yabloko's attempt to put the matter to a referendum illustrates, the process simply does not get held up to the light in St. Petersburg.

Russia's corrupt authorities tend to regard all the country's resources – its lakes, rivers, woods, palaces, architectural treasures – as their own property. They are not interested in passing a sound construction code that would protect the historic landscape. There has been no reaction to UNESCO's repeated warnings, while construction projects with ridiculous justifications, like "we need more space because our project is very big" continue to multiply.

Perhaps, very soon Russian filmmakers won't be able to make any more movies set in old St. Petersburg.

Provided by Transitions Online—Intelligent Eastern Europe

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