Architectural appearance and preservation of the identity of historic center quarters: the case of Gorshechnaya Sloboda in Kazan)

The article examines problems associated with changes to the architectural appearance and preservation of the identity of a historic urban center using as an example the reconstruction of the former Gorshechnaya Sloboda in Kazan (a fragment bounded by the streets Shchapova, Nekrasova, Butlerova, Mayakovskya, and Pushkina). Stages and specifics features in the development of this area throughout the 18th-20th century are outlined. Changes to the architectural appearance and components of the area’s identity were surveyed in the field and studied by methods of retrospective and urban planning analysis. The contents of the area’s local identity were established through description of the physical natural components (terrain and landscaping); man-made components (architecture and planning); and intangible components (prevailing types of activity, significant events and personalities, and toponyms). The surviving and lost components of the Gorshechnaya Sloboda identity were revealed by comparative analysis of data from the Russian, Soviet and modern periods. The results of the study are compared with the modern model of Kazan’s historical settlement identity. The contribution of the former Gorshechnaya Sloboda to the preservation Kazan’s historic center identity is determined.