Arzamas became the first city in Russia to completely update federal urban planning standards

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, October 5 – RIA Novosti. Arzamas became the first city in Russia to completely update federal urban planning standards, reports the press service of the regional government.

The new order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation on the approval of the subject of protection and the boundaries of the territory of Arzamas completely replaced the orders of 2017 and 2019 on the protection of the historical settlement. The document eliminated legal conflicts and created a clear legal basis for infrastructure development.

“Arzamas is one of 46 historical settlements of federal significance in Russia. So far, only 29 of them have had full regulations approved. Arzamas has become the first city in the country that has not just adjusted the old norms in a targeted manner (as St. Petersburg, Suzdal or Tomsk had previously done), but has overcome the threshold of changes of 50-70% and adopted a fundamentally new comprehensive document,” the statement says.

The document was developed by the administration of Arzamas and the autonomous non-profit organization "Management Company for the Development of the Sarov-Diveevo Cluster and the Nizhny Novgorod Region." It is noted that the need for renewal is dictated by time, since the old framework allowed for double interpretation and hampered the development of the city.

As the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Gleb Nikitin noted, Arzamas is not just an open-air museum, but also a city with great growth potential.

“The new regulations strictly protect the authentic appearance of the center, but at the same time provide investors and the city with a clear algorithm of action. Preserving the historical environment and developing the Arzamas-Diveevo-Sarov tourist cluster is the foundation for improving the quality of life of Arzamas residents and creating comfortable public spaces. By attracting tourists, we receive additional investments in infrastructure,” the press service quotes Nikitin as saying.

The mayor of Arzamas, Alexander Shchelokov, said that the transition to the new order required colossal work on inventory and geodetic reference of each house.

“We have actually digitized the historical territory of Arzamas. Now developers and designers do not need to guess, because all the parameters - from the height of the eaves and the angle of the roof slope to the color scheme and materials of the facades - are spelled out in the document. It is important that urban planning standards work as a reliable navigator: they protect the “heart” of the city, but do not put barriers to its modern comfort and economic growth,” he noted.

Currently, the boundaries of the territory are fixed by 132 geodetic coordinates with an error of only 0.5 meters. This completely eliminates disputes about whether specific areas fall into protected zones. 524 historically valuable objects have been taken under protection. Dangerous buildings that cannot be restored have been taken out of circulation. Now the plots can be cleared for improvement and investment projects.

Detailed zoning made it possible to modernize the infrastructure: for example, “defense and security” zones were allocated to update networks in sensitive areas. Strict regulations also prohibited the chaotic placement of external air conditioning units and antennas on monuments.