Improved Uzhgorod, or Fantasies on the comfortable city from Uzhgorod residents

If you ask any Uzhgorod resident what they need most to make life in their city more comfortable, about 90 percent will say the same thing. The city is difficult to live in because of broken roads, interrupted water supply, poor street lighting, bad public transportation, inefficiency of public utilities. Slightly fewer people will mention the overabundance of advertising, the destruction of historic architecture and ugly new buildings.

Let us dream

All these complaints are grounded, but those are problem are "eternal", they have been dicussed by activists, journalists and others for years, and no one, including members of the current government, can tell whether they will ever be solved.

Therefore, in the popular community "Uzhgorod", they decided to break out of this circle of "eternal" Uzhgorod problems and dream about what else Uzhgorod residents need to live in the city more comfortably. The discussion was quite interesting, and the ideas are certainly worthy of attention of both our businessmen and city government. Although many contributors of the community were greatly angered that such topics are discussed while more pressing issues still have not been resolved, we still think that dreaming will not hurt. Therefore we offer you the most interesting propositions made by Uzhgorod residents.

For example, user Serhiy Pishkovtsiy says that he lacks creativity in the city: "A little more creativity and street art that would brighten depressive buildings and neighbourhoods. For some reason, their fantasy is rather weak in this regard – some bear sculptures and that’s it."

Anonymous user Bachi Ungvarskyi dreams to fly. "We need a flying club, so we could fly in 2-seater light aircrafts or helicopters, some pilot training courses."

And Volodymyr Tokach wants to ride the trolley. "Trolleybus routes

Novy neighbourhood – BAM, Novy neighbourhood – Krasnodontsi, Novy neighbourhood – Shakhta. Preferably, those types that are recharged at stops (they don’t spoil the view with wires)."

Crematorium?

The proposition of Uzhgorod City Council deputy Rostislav Bulanov on the introduction of electronic document management received considerable support (ie "likes"). Apparently, many people are tired of "paper work". In addition, Bulanov reported that at the parliamentary committee, a member of which he is, it was suggested to introduce tolls to the city center. The purpose is obvious. Firstly, it would allow to reduce the number of vehicles in the historic part. And those, who still like to park in the center, would enrich the city budget.

User Julia Bo draws attention to an enormous amount of dust in the city, which after every rain turns into puddles of mud. In addition, she believes that the city needs a pet cemetery and Yana Smolyar wants fountains and a water park. The city already has both, but apparentlly in insufficient quantities and of poor quality, considering that Yana’s suggestion was supported by others.

Several users suggested that Uzhgorod needs a crematorium. This idea caused a real discussion. 

Many propositions of the user Olga Yonash were supported. In particular, to give old boiler rooms for social projects for youth, seniors and other groups, to create a recreation center for senior citizens, to allow people of retirement age freely attend lectures at the university, pump rooms with drinking water, the single site of medical institutions of the city, to see which doctors receive patients, which ones are on vacation, to make appointments over the internet.

I want a balance

"I lack clean air (maybe this is a standard, but I would like sidewalks to smell like shampoo like in Kosice, and I wish there was no dirt in the city), clean grass or a public space in green areas where you could lie on the grass and listen to music on Sunday.

Also it would be nice to have some kind of a zoo or a "farm" interesting for children. 

There is a lack of good and safe playgrounds and a free space where you can go rollerblading or cycling with kids. Also it would be good to have lights that run on solar energy, as well as public toilets. Also it would be great if they filled the channel in the Bozdosh with water and make some rowing school there or just a place to boat" – user Lyudmyla Bilyk proposed several innovations.   

As well as a journalist Larysa Romaniuk: "Nice poster pillars, or any other similar media systematically scattered around the city. Fully arranged public beach, at least one.   Fully arranged animal shelter. And a park in the strictest sense of the word, that is not only rollerblades for children, beer for dads, ice cream for moms. I want a balanced concept of the city development. For example, there is a shelter for dogs, where they are treated, saved and given in good hands, and there is a municipal volunteer program, where kids learn to be humane by helping animals. That is purely practical things should be supported with humanitarian component. Otherwise, fines and penalties are the only hope."

The historical part – to tourists

"For 20 years I have been missing "downtown" or "business district" that would be located far beyond the historical area. Perhaps, near the "Ukraina", perhaps even somewhere in the suburbs. The city is growing, and the historic center is not extendable – Shvabska street is already destroyed with "business" buildings, TCs have appeared on Koryatovich, Voloshin streets. Soon, there will be no historical center as such – only the castle and the cathedral will remain" – Bachi Ungvarskyi added more ideas.

His opinion was supported and developed by the UzhNU teacher, activist Oleksandr Koval: "There is no effective municipal management. As for construction, I am convinced that business centers, shopping malls, as well as entertainment centers, should be on the outskirts of the city.

Also deputies, officials must not steal money from the budget, but, through effective municipal management, fill the budget and ensure the development of the city. Because now, there is a trend to destructions."

Let’s not shoot anyone

One of popular wishes was "to receive a license to shoot yobbos." Of course, it is a sad joke caused by irritation of Uzhgorod residents’ incivility. It is not likely that any contributors really want to shoot people because of some plastic thrown on the road (at least we hope they don’t).

PS In the next piece we will ask experts how realizable and necessary for the city the suggestions of Uzhgorod residents for improvement of Uzhgorod are.