Evolution of the image of Rostov-on-Don: Material prerequisites for development urban tourism

Abstract

Taking into account the new emerging reality of Russian regions, generated by factors of a non-economic nature, there is a need to turn to a direct dialogue between business, government, and science regarding the formation of territorial brands as an effective tool for market positioning of the region. In this study, an attempt was made to identify a collective image (brand) of the South Russian capital — the city of Rostov-on-Don, which has a high historical and socio-cultural potential for the development of urban tourism. The study is based on the methodology of Kevin Lynch, who identified five elements of the image of the city, which can be used to describe the urban environment: path, boundaries, districts, nodes and landmarks. Previously, a retrospective analysis of the socio-economic transformations that influenced the formation of the urban environment of Rostov-on-Don was carried out, which made it possible to identify a number of features of the modern architectural and planning appearance of the city. After highlighting the key elements of the image of Rostov-on-Don according to the method of Kevin Lynch, the paper proposes two walking routes that take into account the historical codes of the city. Each of the routes corresponds to one of the two main historical codes reflected in the modern architectural appearance of the city: 1) objects of classicism and modernity, eclecticism and modernity, which arose during the period of rapid development of commerce in Rostov-on-Don; 2) the epoch-making architecture of Stalinist industrialization, namely, the objects of constructivism.