Water bodies as the basis by open public spaces planning and an instrument of urban transformation

Abstract

Recently, construction in cities has been proceeding at a high rate. Increasingly, urban abandoned and flooded depressive spaces near water bodies (often rivers) that were previously used as industrial facilities or temporarily used are becoming the sphere of architectural and landscape transformations. In the article the role of water bodies in the ecological system of the city, as well as in its structure as a whole is discussed and the principles of space transformation aimed at forming a holistic image of the city are considered, as well as the impact of such spatial placement of urban and water bodies on the safety and quality of the urban environment are revealed. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the formation of public urban space, determine the patterns of its development, and identify criteria that reflect the nature, scale, and features of the impact of urbanization on a water body. Some principles of revitalization of coastal areas are considered, as well as the creation of a system of publicly accessible, compositionally expressive spaces. Modern approaches to the development of public urban spaces based on the formation of a unified architectural environment that ensures the relationship of urban development with water bodies and adjacent territories are discussed. In conclusion, water bodies are not only an important part of the natural and ecological framework, but also are the basis of the framework of urban natural and man-made systems as a whole. And the creation of a «unified urban planning» is impossible without the organization of a shore line development, ensuring the compositional, functional and communication interconnection of open urban and water spaces, which is actively being implemented today in architectural and continuous urban planning practice, is noted.