This is where the troubles are: 5 addresses instead of Narodna Square

"Let Narodna Square be!". Under this slogan the Varosh prepared the selection of 5 facilities in Uzhgorod that need urgent reconstruction.

The publication writes: Transcarpathian regional center, that loudly and with a scandal celebrated its 1120th anniversary recently, attracted the attention of national top publications.

Unfortunately, it is not extravagant celebrations or modern city-oriented initiatives of local authorities that caught the interest of national media, but the conflict between citizens and the government that arose about the controversial project of reconstruction of Narodna Square. One of the compelling arguments against it is that it is the square in front of the regional administration building which is the most orderly one among all squares of Uzhgorod.

Professionals and community are concerned, in particular, about inconsistent and illogical decisions made by authorities.

– There is no master plan in the city, there is no development strategy, therefore the process of making of vital decisions for Uzhgorod, just as the process of implementation thereof are horrific – those are methods of the primitive communal system, not of the modern society. Spontaneous lanscaping initiated by authorities appalls urban planning professionals, because it requires a comprehensive and deliberate approach. When we see the materials, the equipment and the specialists used for works – it is scary. Unfortunately, even when performing the improvement of the most valuable for the city facilities, no one cares about supervising engineers, professionals or even superintendents – therefore any, even a perfect reconstruction project is unlikely to be implemented correctly with such an approach – architect Igor Brodi says.

Based on the opinion of the city residents, journalists and experts in urban planning, we have prepared a selection of five city sites, which, unlike the main administrative square of the region, are actually are in poor condition and in need of immediate restoration and beautification.

Number 1. Sandor Petofi Square 

Recently, it has become partly pedestrian, but it definitely needs renovation – replacing of broken pavement, recovery of flower beds, lawns and sidewalks repair.

Number 2.    Koryatovich Square 

The final stop of the most popular bus routes, where cars and pedestrians are mixed. Here is the taxi parking lot, and piles of debris around the containers, and sidewalks broken to pieces, open manholes and a neglected flower bed in the middle.

Number 3. The square behind the RSA building 

Behind the main administrative building of the region, there is a deserted park, where recently they have arranged a playground. The remains of abandoned Soviet flower beds, which for many years have had no flowers, trampled lawns and piles of debris – that is all that the park can currently offer its visitors.

Number 4.    Cyril and Methodius Square 

The first city square, the guests of Uzhgorod, who come by train or bus, see. A huge area that is in absolute decline, the only "improvement" that affected it over the past decade is kiosks and outdoor advertising.

Number 5. The square near the Regional Drama Theater 

The phantom of the former fountain with rusty pipes now resembles the exclusion zone of Chernobyl and is not the best entourage for the cultural and artistic establishment.

Architects and caring citizens agree that any changes and transformations of urban space should begin with a clear strategy developed by experts in urban planning, while chaotic measures will only lead to a misallocation of resources, low efficiency and dissatisfaction of citizens. 

Source: Varosh