Architecture of modern coastal development. Saint Petersburg realias and experience of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Hamburg

Results of the first stage of territory development in the Gulf of Finland near the western coast of Vasilyevsky Island in Saint Petersburg are rated unsatisfactory. Results in the field of aesthetics, ecology, social stability and functional arrangement of the urban environment on new lands are negative. According to the analysis of experience in coastal areas' reconstruction in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Hamburg, ambitious goals that were set for the project in Saint Petersburg were not achieved due to defects of the urban planning system — there was no centralized project management, activities of contractors, who neglected exclusive potential of the coastal area and its proximity to the historical core of the city, were insufficiently coordinated and controlled. It is argued that this is due to inertia of the Saint Petersburg design and construction system. During many years, it was focused on large-scale residential development of vast peripheral territories and, therefore, it was not capable to resolve issues related to development of highly urbanized environment in the city center. Omissions made during construction of a highway through the residential area are identified. The highway design does not provide reliable protection against negative impact on residential quarters. The route of the highway was designed as a bypass of the city center, but it became the shortest route to the center. It is noted that further development will offer opportunities for partial correction of the errors made. The new management team of the city architectural services considers the territory perspective for expansion of the Saint Petersburg center towards the water area of the Gulf of Finland