About the results
For me, my second year of work in the Mayor's office was the most productive time, and there are plenty of specific results. I employed quite a lot of young people in the Main Department of Architecture and Urban Development, and we managed to make up a real team. For example, a provision regarding the architectural image was developed. It prescribes the necessity to negotiate the architectural image of new buildings. Before that, it was not fixed in any documents or regulations, but now it is a municipal service, which is a great achievement.
Secondly, we launched an initiative connected with compulsory façade certification. It is a kind of an architectural hygiene, one of the key components of a modern, comfortable, well-designed city. Apart from that, changes in the rules of fencing, dealing with limitations on installing fences in the city, have been approved recently. This topic is a continuous source of conflicts between citizens who find themselves on opposite sides of a fence, and there's nothing good abut it. Now we have a more clear regulation regarding what can and cannot be done in this field.
About the strategy of spatial development
A whole other big story is the project of spatial development strategy for Yekaterinburg. We were working on it last years' wall-to-wall. For instance, as part of the strategy development process, there was a '100 thoughts about Yekaterinburg' project, which turned out to be unique in terms of wide public discussions of the values of urban development. Representatives from other cities now turn to us asking to share our experience of hosting such projects.
By the way, Yekaterinburg received a separate diploma for working with the population at the 'Zodchestvo' exhibition, where we took part in the second half of last year. And it was directly connected to our work within the strategy framework, including the '10o thoughts about Yekaterinburg' project. For the record, for the first time in ten years, our city was awarded a golden diploma for the best architecture and urban planning practice, at the very same exhibition. It is a very high estimate of our achievements.