in good health

Health is obviously a crucial and complex subject. Urban environment should become healthier, especially in the context of the growing life expectancy of the population. But what in particular does this imperative mean and how can we apply it to architecture and town planning? During the preparation of this issue, the Discussion Club of PB gathered two times, in Irkutsk and in Moscow, to discuss the subject of HEALTH. The complex nature of the problem became even more obvious. In the minds of architects, even high-level professionals, the notions of health of urban environment, comfort and happiness of citizens intersect and merge. At the same time, there is still a centripetal acceleration: small towns are decreasing, and villages are disappearing. Excessive densification of metropolitan centers started in the 1990s and then spread to bedroom districts. This so-called renovation leads to aggravation of the transport problem. As for proper planting of greenery – it is out of the question. It is happening in Russia, where there is no shortage of living territories, and provincial cities with great history and wonderful landscapes have all the prerequisites for a happy and healthy lifestyle. But we’ll speak about small and historic cities next time… Except for the main topic, our reader will find three independent sections in the issue. The PORTRAIT OF THE ARCHITECT section contains the second part (see the first part in PB 58) of the material dedicated to the memory of Mark Meerovich. The 20th anniversary session of Winter University of Urban Planning held in Irkutsk in February 2019 provided development perspectives for the Irkutsk Technical University campus. The magic of numbers of the current issue of PB (issue 60 and 15-year existence) provokes old and new friends of PB to comment on what the journal has done throughout these years