An ambitious renovation program in the center of Moscow steamrolls streets and promises utopian changes.

When it comes to renovation, Moscow authorities take no prisoners.

Every summer since 2015, they’ve been launching sweeping roadworks across the city center, reshaping dozens of streets, squares and public places. Relentless digging, paving and painting usually starts in April and ends in September.

Nothing can deter it: neither Muscovites’ raging complaints about the traffic jams it causes, nor newly repaired streets getting flooded by rain because of defective drainage. Not even bloggers, insinuating that replacing the tiles installed several years before is merely an attempt by officials to “take advantage of the budget,” can stop it.

In 2015 and 2016, Moscow authorities renovated 106 streets. This year, City Hall plans on doing the same for another 87 streets, squares and public spaces. The program, called “My Street” and posted on the City Hall website, calls it “the biggest renovation program in Moscow’s modern history.” The project is supposed to be completed in 2018, right in time for the mayoral elections and the World Cup.

Its scale and ambition suggest it would quite significantly alter the face of the city. But will it be a change for the better?

Good on paper

Moscow authorities developed the program together with the prominent architectural bureau Strelka, well-known for its sophisticated, hip projects. Its pictures of what Moscow’s streets and squares will look like after this year’s renovation show a lot of promise.

....

The seamy side

A closer look at how renovation was carried out last year indicates that this beauty will be steamrolled upon Moscow in the usual “no retreat, no surrender” style.

City Hall spends a fortune on renovation. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin dismisses accusations of wasting money on benches at a time of economic crisis, saying that this is an investment in Moscow’s future income from tourism.

It is still unclear how much the 2017 renovation will cost the city budget.

....

The bottom line

Once the dust settles, it becomes clear that the renovated streets look disappointedly similar. They lose their individuality, says Asse. The same architectural elements are used, the same means, the same concepts.

Often, the quality of the work is low too. Pavements quickly deform, the drainage system gets clogged, and some streets can’t be walked on because of giant puddles created by the rain. “Far from every [contractor] who takes on this work actually understands how it should be done,” Asse told The Moscow Times.

Sobyanin’s style is generally better than that of his predecessor Luzhkov’s, the architect admits. “Luzhkov’s style featured bad taste and vulgar beauty. Sobyanin’s team works with some very good architects and doesn’t entertain bad taste,” he says.

However, nothing stands out about this style, either, according to Asse. “It’s not remarkable. It’s just not appealling.”

....