Depending on the season residents of Ukrainian cities have a number of reasons to be unsatisfied: unshoveled snow and disruption in work of public transport, sidewalks lined with cars, pits on the roads, broken lights, dirty beaches, and broken benches. Reduction of greenery and no areas that are 100 percent assigned for pedestrians can be added to that list. However, they also always have something to love and be happy about. Town people have their favorite places: streets, alleys, and parks, they know where they can relax, sit alone and read a book, where opens the best view of the city, etc. And most importantly, they clearly know what they do not like and what should be changed in the city to make it as comfortable as possible. In society there is an understanding that the aesthetics of urban space is as important as its functionality.
“Aesthetics of urban space is fundamentally important,” Oleksandr Serhiienko, director of analytical research center “Urban Institute,” told The Day. “Urban environment should be aestheticized then people would also be different. If a person grows up in newly built quarters, where there are no parks and buildings are all alike, his attitude to the city and to life in general is different from the attitude of a person, who grew up amidst Art Nouveau architecture. This is a generalizing example. But it is obvious that there is a direct correlation between culture of the residents and the aestheticization of living environement.” Mr. Serhiienko gives an example of cities and towns in Western Europe where nearly all infrastructure elements are subjected to aestheticization. “I am not talking about sculptures, which we also have here, but I am talking about benches and manholes, for example. These are industry products, but they are so exquisite that they literally adorn urban space. In Rome, I was impressed by details: on doors of any shops or cafes you will see artistic and beautiful handles. I personally can explain it by the fact that there children since their childhood go to museums, to ancient ruins, look at fine art, and are simply incapable of doing something rather than nicely.” The expert is convinced that “if children since their childhood live in aesthetic urban environment, they grow up creative, open, and concerned people.”
The expert points out several reasons to that in Ukraine aestheticization of urban space has not yet been put on the same level as its functionality. But the main reason is not the lack of funds in local budgets but the incomplete understanding in the society and among government officials of the aesthetics and its impact on our everyday life, sense of harmony and comfort. “It is very easy to do: artists, architects, and designers, not the moneybags, must have the final say in this. When the society understands that art and good taste and not the money should define everything, any public creation from banal public transport stop or gas station will be aesthetic and nice-looking. And then you can go down the list and the same will be true about sidewalks, benches, and signs,” says the expert. Serhiienko notes that for him personally Kyiv is not clean enough, there are very few green public gardens, and there is no harmony in architecture. “You cannot speak about aesthetics in a place where it is dirty. It is, at least, incorrect. As for me, there are very few green public gardens with manicured trees and shrubs, comfortable and nice-looking benches, lights, etc. And of course architecture. Here everything, starting from SAFs (small architectural forms) which annoy everyone to large architectural forms, should be aesthetic and harmonious,” sums up the director of “Urban Institute.”
The Day asked residents of Ukrainian cities about what they like and what they would like to change in their cities, and also about how important urban aesthetics is personally for them.
