But since then there have been many changes in urban development. The period of perestroika left its chaotic imprints on the urban fabric, violating the integrity and clarity of Soviet ideas about the ideal planning structure. Another need has arisen to develop a new master plan for a million-plus city. Even within the framework of the theory of urbanization, described by Leonid Kogan in the 1970-80s, a feature of the socio-spatial development of cities was noted, which consisted in the constant interaction of the center and the periphery: the cultural values of the city are concentrated in the center and later spread to other territories.
In the spirit of these urban ideas, an urban planning competition was held for the architectural and urban planning concept for the development of the historical center of the city of Chelyabinsk, because if the city as a living organism is in an unhealthy state, then it is logical to start with its “heart”, where all social and cultural life is concentrated. Today, the center of Chelyabinsk - both in appearance and in terms of amenities and comfort - does not meet the status of a modern million-plus city. The terms of reference for the competition stated that its task “is to develop a Concept that will form the basis for the creation of a new master plan for the city and will be the basis for the subsequent preparation of documentation on territorial planning.” Separately, three points were highlighted that this concept should be aimed at: improving the environmental situation, preserving the unique historical environment of the central part of the city and enhancing tourist attractiveness. However, after conducting a pre-design study, ATRIUM architects identified, among other things, serious socio-demographic problems, so the final conceptual solutions went beyond the development of the center and were aimed primarily at creating a city attractive to citizens, and not to tourists.
The main idea was the synergistic development of the city. Public centers of the city were selected as synergizing factors, identified by their functional saturation and citywide significance: a cultural and historical center, an educational center (about 50,000 students study at SUSU), a sports center, a shopping and entertainment center, and a multifunctional business center that is beginning to develop. Of course, the development of a city is nonlinear, but qualitatively new synergistic development requires the correct determination of the city’s launch point. This point in the architects’ concept should be a research and innovation center, since Chelyabinsk has all the resources for its development, both intellectual and production.
A research and innovation center (SIC) can be a driver for the development of the city’s economy: large businesses will be interested in it as a customer for the development of innovative products, whose offices can be located in the new business center of the city at the bend of the Miass River, which appeared as a high-rise building back in master plans of Soviet urban planners. The development of the Research Center will help the city retain highly qualified personnel who graduate from Chelyabinsk universities. All these processes activate dispersed and porous development in the city center instead of extensive construction on the periphery. This process influences the creation of a comfortable environment necessary for the development of small businesses. Thus, Chelyabinsk becomes an attractive city for investors, tax revenues to the city treasury increase, and the city can already afford the construction of iconic objects emphasizing its scientific and technological direction of development - for example, the Polytechnic Museum.
Chelyabinsk has a developed tram network, and, according to the architects' plans, the Research Center can develop transport technologies and new generation trams. Then Chelyabinsk will become a testing ground for this transport, and industrial facilities located outside the center will be involved in the development. Thus, new public and industrial centers on the periphery of Chelyabinsk are included in the synergistic development of the city center. Architects also proposed more futuristic ideas: for example, the development of innovative transport could be the key to global changes in the spatial structure of the city, reducing the width of roads will free up new area for the development of buildings and public spaces, and new types of individualized transport will allow the development of “beyond-street” space.
The project is interesting because the architects approached the solution of the competition tasks from the perspective of the complex process of launching changes in the city, and not from the perspective of presenting the final result of their architectural and urban planning solutions, which, of course, are reflected in the project at a high level. For the ATRIUM team, it was more important to solve the strategic problem - how to launch the process of synergistic development of the city and what can initiate qualitative changes in the urban environment, since Chelyabinsk has every reason to become a city of science and technology, attractive and comfortable for life.