Participants in the St Petersburg University Urbanist Summer School come up with the ideas how to develop popular tourist towns in the Leningrad Region
During two weeks, students at St Petersburg University, ITMO University, and the Higher School of Economics have been collaborating on the projects to increase the tourist attractiveness of Vyborg, Staraya Ladoga, and Shlisselburg. The final was held on the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus at St Petersburg University where young specialists presented their achievements to the experts at the University, the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Leningrad Region, and town administrations.
The summer school brought together 36 students from the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University; the Institute of Design & Urban Studies at ITMO University; the Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism at the Higher School of Economics; and the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development at the Higher School of Economics. After the course of online classes and lectures on urban development, the students were divided into six interdisciplinary teams for field research in the Leningrad Region. Young urbanists visited the towns of the region, met with municipal authorities and conducted a survey among local residents to identify their needs.
Based on the information received, the students formulated ideas how to improve the tourist climate. For example, in Staraya Ladoga, the school participants suggested restoring several key monuments, opening a merchant’s tea house, and creating a new tourist route that would unite all the architectural masterpieces of Staraya Ladoga: from the Staraya Ladoga fortress to the Lopukhinka estate.
In Vyborg, according to the young urbanists, there are not enough places for family leisure and recreation. To make it more comfortable and attractive for tourists, they suggested a virtual map of Vyborg that would help you find the way to a bakery, where you could bake a pretzel, or to a smithy and other workshops where children could spend time while adults studied the history of the town. The plan should also display souvenir shops with goods from local artists and cafés that would serve local cuisine.
According to Iolanta Chomag, a student in the programme Master in Smart City Management at the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University and a member of the winning team of the Urbanist Summer School, few visitors to the Oreshek Fortress visit Shlisselburg, although its historical museum is of great interest. The town has everything that is needed for the development of industrial tourism, and the ancient canals and the shipyard could become points of attraction for tourists, said Iolanta Chomag.
‘One of our ideas is to create an eco-route along the canals so that people can both admire these wonderful places and spend time with health benefits. Glamping can be at the end of the route,’ Iolanta Chomag, a St Petersburg University student, shared her opinion. ‘We are confident that Shlisselburg has a tourism potential. Of course, it takes time to develop such projects, and we only had two weeks to study everything. Yet it was fascinating to work together, and I am sure that this is a very useful experience.’
The final round of the Urbanist Summer School was held on the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus at the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University. The students presented to the jury six projects for the development of the towns in the Leningrad Region. The projects were evaluated by the administrative staff and academic staff at the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University, the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Leningrad Region, and town administrations.
Participation in the St Petersburg University Urbanist Summer School is, first of all, an opportunity to collaborate with students in urban studies from other universities. Some students are good at doing digital analytics, other students are good at space analytics or counting and management. This interdisciplinary and interuniversity connection makes it possible to create very deep, fascinating projects.
Mariia Zachiniaeva, a student at the Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism at the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development at the Higher School of Economics
‘It is also a great opportunity to obtain a case for the portfolio and practical experience for applying for a job,’ said Mariia Zachiniaeva, a student at the Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism at the Faculty of Urban and Regional Development at the Higher School of Economics.
‘Our team studied the tourism potential of Vyborg. There were a lot of ideas. It seems to me that Vyborg can become an ideal place for New Year and Christmas holidays. The surroundings of the town are suitable for a very beautiful Christmas market in the best European traditions. This is what could attract tourists in the low season,’ said Mariia Zachiniaeva.
The Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University and the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Leningrad Region were the organisers of the Urbanist Summer School.