HISTORY OF ALMATY’S FIRST PEDESTRIAN STREET IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

In 1988, the first pedestrian street (Zhibek Zholy Avenue or Silk Road in Kazakh) was laid out in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. The archival materials of the project were lost in the 1990s, and now little is known about the history of the Zhibek Zholy pedestrian zone. The material for this study was collected bit by bit from the authors of the project and from the periodicals of that time.
 The article presents for the first time an analysis of the design intent for Almaty’s pedestrian street, considers how the design was developed, what was then implemented and was not and why.
 The study is intended, first of all, for architects, designers, and engineers to promote a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the design and reconstruction of the pedestrian zones in Almaty. Residents also need to know the history of their city.