The Institute for Urban Environment Development of Nizhny Novgorod Region (IRGSNO) is a regional organization established in March 2018 to improve public spaces and implement the municipal program "Comfortable Urban Environment" in Nizhny Novgorod. At its founding, the institute received 36 million rubles in funding; its first director was Darya Shorina, who heads the architectural association "O'gorod".[1]
History and Structure
In January 2019, alongside IRGSNO, the autonomous non-profit organization "Institute for Urban Environment of Nizhny Novgorod" was established — a municipal body created "to reinforce" the regional institute. It was headed by architect Zoya Ryurikova, a graduate of NNGASU and the Moscow Architectural Institute, director of design bureau DA, and coordinator of the Nizhny Novgorod Center for Applied Urbanism. City head Vladimir Panov described the new director's primary task as finding answers to questions about "what is to be considered beautiful and correct," taking residents' opinions into account. In 2019, funding under the program "Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment" was expected to increase by 30%.[1]
Activities
In 2018, IRGSNO published improvement plans for the squares and parks selected by Nizhny Novgorod residents during the March 18 vote held under the federal program "Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment." The sites included the Square of 1905 in Nizhegorodsky District, Dubki Park in Leninsky District, and the square named after Hero Grabin in Moskovsky District.[3] For each site, the institute gathered residents' wishes: for the Square of 1905 — the creation of a quiet rest area, restoration of the monument to the victims and heroes of the 1905 revolution, and the restoration of access to the Ostrog; for Dubki Park — clearing the channel of Borzovka, laying out cycling paths, and installing a security system; for the Grabin Square — a children's playground, outdoor exercise equipment, and additional greenery along the roadway.[3]
In May 2020, IRGSNO organized an online presentation of urban development concepts for Celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the Founding of Nizhny Novgorod as part of the "#Sreda800" program: from May 25 to 28, a series of livestreams on the institute's YouTube channel presented to Nizhny Novgorod residents projects for transforming the Volga and Oka embankments, the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment, the Grebnoy Canal Embankment, the square in front of the Nizhny Novgorod Cable Car, and a number of the city's squares and boulevards.[2] Under the same program, IRGSNO, together with Nizhny Novgorod's MISH Studio, took on the development of improvement projects for Markin Square, the Sverdlov Square, Alekseevskaya Street, and the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment; projects for the remaining 14 sites were developed by architectural bureaus from Moscow (MLA+, Megabudka, bureau "Novoye", iCube Creative Group, "8 Liniy"), Saint Petersburg (design unit 4), Kazan (project group 8 + "ZARF"), Samara (design bureau T.M.), and Penza (bureau "VESHCH!").[2]
In 2026, IRGSNO specialists, together with Nizhegorodgrazhdanproekt" and PJSC DOM.RF, developed a preliminary improvement concept for a 6.5-hectare square in Novinki (settlement). The project was put to a ranked public vote under the federal program "Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment," won, and was included in the 2027 implementation plan. The institute has also been engaged in work on architectural solutions for the metro stations Freedom Square", currently under construction: IRGSNO specialists are working alongside artists to shape the appearance of the station pavilions, interiors, and surrounding areas.
Sources
- Kommersant (Volga Region) — The Nizhny Novgorod Institute for Urban Environment to be headed by architect Zoya Ryurikova (archive)
- KP — Nizhny Novgorod — Outdoor exercise equipment, toilets, and monuments: what Nizhny Novgorod's squares will look like after renovation (archive)
- Newsroom24 — Nizhny Novgorod residents to see online concepts for urban space development