HISTORICAL FORESHORTENING IN THE GENERAL LAYOUT OF BUILDING ARKALYK

 

Shaukenov Zhangeldy Arsenovich, PhD

Kazakhstan, Kostanai State Pedagogical Institute, associate professor of the Chair of the World History, Fundamentals of Law and Economics

Balzhanova Aigul Magzhanovna

Kazakhstan, Kostanai State Pedagogical Institute, senior teacher of the Chair of English

 

The intensive development of the productive forces in the republic created conditions for building new towns and cities. And if in 1928 there were 22 towns in the republic, by 1960 their number increased to 45 towns, and by 1967 there were 69 towns [1, p.36]. Arkalyk was one of such towns appeared in the second half of the last century.

Every city or town has its own history and characteristics. The towns built on the undeveloped area have a special place among the new cities or towns.

The development of the urban village Arkalyk into the town of Virgin region was of great importance in economic and social life of the region. On January 7th, 1964 at the first Arkalyk Party conference the first secretary of regional Party Committee V.Golubenko reported that “it was an important event and the beginning of the rapid development of the richest region” [1, p.49].

On November 23rd, 1970, by the time of the area formation with the centre in Arkalyk, it was noted that for Turgai region it was a period of the rapid increase of the productive forces, great structural changes in its economy. If earlier at the great territory there was a region engaged only in cattle breeding, then it became a big industrial region of the country. The tons of bauxites were mined, the great and technically unique bauxite mines were built and put into operation. At the great territory before its development there was no kilometre of railways and asphalted roads, there was no Telegraph and Telephone Communication.

Not only the percent of the plan realization and set figures, but also the size, quality, rates and novelty of the construction showed the hard work of town builders. The large industrial complex that included some mines was constructed.

It was necessary to consider all the factors including climate to construct a city or a town in steppes. Rational use of natural resources while town planning, building and providing urban amenities is a subject of special attention.

The data of the region climate were studied while working out the town general layout.

Macroclimate and microclimate are distinguished when considering climate conditions of any place. Macroclimate is defined by the factors of large scale: allcirculating air processes, geographical latitude of place, remoteness from oceans and seas, macrorelief. Microclimate is defined by climate forcing of local scale: microrelief, planted lands, nature of soil, urban development, etc. [2, p.58].

Climate conditions combined with relief, hydrological, geological and geotechnical conditions and natural planted lands influence the choice of territory. Microclimate conditions influence the choice of territory for all the population aggregation as a whole, and the planning of city territory, especially its functional zoning.

Redistribution of wind direction on seasons is specific. The greatest average windspeed on seasons is in winter, 5,5 m/s. The maximum wind speed in winter is up to 20 m/s, in summer - 18 m/s [3, p.48]. There are dust storms 30-50 days a year.

 It is necessary to note that the points of regarding climate factors could be fully solved only with the system consideration including their solving in the context of the complex of buildings [4, p.124].

In 1970 the town designing was entrusted to Almaty institute ”Kazgorstroyproject” together with Moscow architectural institute which had already considerable experience in designing new cities and towns: Novosibirsk Academgorodok, Navoi and others.

At the design stage much attention was given to comfortable service system that was one of the main conditions for attracting the necessary number of labour forces.

The general layout of a city worked out on the basis of the national economic plan of the country development besides transport schemes defines prospects of its development, general structure, building pattern, direction of actions for engineering preparation of city territories and provision of urban amenities. In the plan it is also determined the number of floors of residential public buildings and construction priority on the condition the city could be comfortable and convenient at all stages of its development.

The development of the steppe, waterless and remote area, and moreover the development of the city in such region are impossible without taking into account all the factors. There are “natural” and ”non-natural” factors. “Natural” factors: dependence of a city and its industry from area peculiarities, environment, landscape conditions, provision of local building materials, etc. “Non-natural” factors are specially programmed and constructed city systems: services, buildings, provision of urban amenities, etc. [2, p.59].

The development of Arkalyk on the base of the general plan was characterized by the intense creative search of area forms embodying new social ideas.

The industrial giants not built before, residential areas, complex engineering and transport structures, roads - all needed to be built with high rates in the uninhabited district, in the conditions of the waterless steppe remoted to hundreds of kilometres from the existing settlements in severe natural conditions.

There were two connected town-planning problems before the town architects: creation of the optimal environment for the effective manufacture development and favorable life environment for the population. It was important to choose a principal scheme of the urban fabric.

There are three principal schemes of the urban fabric: division of a city into an industrial and residential zone, complex area, the integrated type - placing of industrial areas among residential ones [5, p.38].

The functional zoning of city territory is held to provide the most convenient and favorable living conditions of the population in terms of sanitary-and-hygienic conditions. It defines the most rational mutual placing of separate elements of a city.

As for functional use city territories are divided into: residential zone, industrial zones, transport zones, communal-storage zones, sanitary-protective zones.

Residential, industrial, transport, storage zones together with sanitary-protective zones make a built up city territory. Out of the built up territory, but within the city line there are city forest parks, city municipal enterprises and facilities (nurseries, water intake and treatment facilities of city waterpipe, treatment facilities of city water drain, cemeteries, etc.), which cannot be placed in the built-up part of a city on working and hygiene-and-sanitary conditions [6, p.105].

The city centre is the basic nucleus round which a city map is organized. The city centre is more central under the relation to all built up city territory, nearby from crossing of the basic main streets connecting the centre with other major points of gravitation of the population. The city centre is in the zone of crossing of the basic main streets which are the main composite axes of the city map.

 Green plantings and water spaces play a big role in formation of the urban fabric. At a city arrangement on both banks a river often gets value of one of the basic composite axes of the city map. The more wide the river and the less city, then it is more practical to develop it on one river bank in order to avoid the construction of expensive city bridges and complication of the engineering equipment of a city (waterpipe, water drain, networks of central heating, gasification, etc.). The layout of the cities located on shores also reflects gravitation of a city to water. Almost in all cities located on coast of reservoirs, the city centre is displaced from the geometrical centre of city territory towards a reservoir, and sometimes takes place directly on its coast.

The combination of residential areas, places of mass visiting by the population and networks of the main streets and squares of the city creates the general urban fabric. In modern practice of town-planning the city is considered in a complex with its residential suburb that plays a great role in city life [7, p.149].

Process of formation of a city map depends on many factors: presence of natural reservoirs (sea, lake, river); terrain conditions (complex rugged topography, raviness); developments of a mining industry on the basis of local minerals; presence of curative mineral sources, etc. As a result of influence of one or several of these factors the city map can get this or that form.

At a line layout the longitudinal line of high-speed transport passing along territory of all city is the basic composite centre line of a city map. In this case the line of high-speed transport serves both cultural and general movement of the population, and labour ones as it is usually not possible to reach the closed labour balance for every separate industrial-housing complex and besides labour trips arise owing to residing of workers for the various reasons (adherence to certain residential area; work of members of a family in various areas; choice of a place of work according to specialization and abilities of a worker, etc.) in the residential areas far away from a place of work [7, p.152].

Convenience of a line layout of a city is in its developing without radical reconstruction of already developed areas. The essential lack of a line-city is its actual division on a number of inhabited places, substantially separate. Besides, depending on the general configuration and the sizes of passenger traffic the longitudinal line of expensive high-speed transport can appear economically inexpedient, and refusal of the raised speeds of movement will lead to decrease in comfort of public transport.

Relief conditions of district strongly influence the city map form. In these conditions the city divided into separate areas can get special picturesque scenery. Administrative-public institutions and institutions of cultural-domestic servicing of population play an essential role in formation of the urban fabric. They are divided into their specialization and value in city life.

For Arkalyk the first variant was chosen. Inhabited territories of Arkalyk were on considerable distance from the industrial zone, i.e. here it is open character of labour communications.

Such position allowed to solve some problems at once. First, the industrial enterprises were more close to each other, to sources of raw materials, energy, centres of external transport. Secondly, there were spatial sanitary gaps that excluded noise and other adverse traces of industrial production to penetrate on the territory of the housing estate. And, thirdly, the possibility of free develpoment, both for the industrial zone, and for the city was created.

At any principal scheme of a city the rational organization of parts of different function (manufacture, life, rest) and three systems uniting them (public centres, green plantings and streets) are of great importance [2, p.62].

The centre development is one of the challenges of development of the urban fabric. Practice shows that at updating or processing of general layouts the site of the centres considerably changes, and not always it is possible to reach the harmonious decision of the centre in the general structure of a city because of the errors admitted in the first general layouts.

With growth of a city the centre development goes in three directions:

1. continuous spatial development of the centre - monocentric and linear;

2. development of originally developed centre and occurrence of the additional centres of city value in remoted residential districts- polycentric system;

3. development of the city centre in a new housing estate with transformation of originally developed city centre into the centre of one of the housing estates [2, p.73].

The most favorable is gradual linear or other direction of the centre at which the first phase of its formation in the form of the first finished city ensemble is carried out already in the first stage. The linear system of development of the centre supposes more ordered, gradual, spatial development in comparison with monocentric and polycentric systems.

Such system of development of the centre has been assumed as a basis while building Arkalyk. The administrative-public centres of Arkalyk are complied with the general planned idea and have also the extended composition consisting of separate administrative, trading, cultural and sports complexes, united in unified system of the public centre.

Public buildings of Arkalyk centre are rather insignificant, their total number is insignificant in comparison with cumulative number of the housing estate. The first public buildings as an initial nucleus of the linearly growing centre present the main and necessary functions of the new town - House of Councils (nowadays town akimat), hotel, palace of culture. “Builders” avenue is the first nucleus of the centre. Here there are main planned city directions: the road to the industrial zone, the main city highway.

The architecture of the constructions forming the ensemble of the area is mutually conformable to single scale dimension of forms, single аrchitectonics of contrast interface of great basic volumes with the open spaces of the ground floor which are visually moving apart the area, depriving its isolation [8, p.84].

At the beginning of building it became possible to reconsider some forms of designing. Considering the activity of the population in planting sites adjoining to houses, it was decided to refuse from big territories of microdistrict planting, and to emphasize planting at house sites for connection of focal points of gravitation of the population in microdistricts.

Improving influence of green plantings on a city microclimate is shown, for example, in decrease in intensity of direct solar radiation under crones of trees (that especially actually for Arkalyk), increase in relative air humidity, its clarification from dust, protection against wind, and also in airing (aeration) of the city territory at the expense of air currents arising owing to a difference of temperatures in building and green spaces.

Planting of microdistricts is formed of planted yards at group of apartment houses (10 м2 on the inhabitant), planted sites of schools and pre-school institutions (45-50 % from the site area), united by planted avenues. Plantings were carried out taking into account the basic requirements in the conditions of the under construction town:

1. Creation of a reliable shade and protection against wind, dust, noise.

2. Creation of airing conditions providing fast temperature drop in summer in the evening.

3. Territory division into various sites on a functional purpose.

4. Organization of places for rest, games and sport in the open air.

5. Isolation of trafficways, car parking, economic yards, etc. from other territory [9, p.34].

The expedition of Institute of botany of Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic in 1961-1968 conducted the primary test of more than 800 kinds and forms of various ornamental plants, including 218 kinds of trees and bushes (47 from them were used in green building). From the collection of floral-ornamental plants 117 perspective kinds were selected and 42 kinds of them are used in town planting [10, p.56].

The climate of Turgai is typically arid and characterized by diminishing of humidifying during the hottest period of year, insignificant fall of atmospheric precipitation, insufficient nitrogen and phosphorus content in soil. As all complex of the environment is adverse for growth of cultural plants, the other approaches to planting were developed.

In planting of Arkalyk annual plants with their high decorative effect and unpretentiousness were widely used. The great bulk of annual plants is cultivated by soil culture. 8 kinds of lawn grass were planted, the leading position is occupied by lucerne lawns; from ornamental plants belvedere and castor bean became widespread.

There became a rule to maintain a solicitous attitude to the constructed or planted in the under construction town. So, in the session report of the Executive Committee of Arkalyk Town Council of deputies of workers from 30.03. 1961 it was written down: “To oblige all citizens living in constant houses of the settlement, during the spring period to plant one tree on a member of a family and to provide necessary care” [12, p.178].

Further in the same 1961: “The big work on the city accomplishment was done: the microdistricts roads were asphalted, several thousand trees were planted, the beach for summer holiday of workers of the settlement was constructed and equipped”. ”Lately the uncontrolled building of dugouts and temporary barracks on the sites fixed to manufacture is observed in the city. In consequence of which there are difficulties in the town accomplishment and building of other objects. The Executive Committee of the Town Council of deputies of workers decides: to forbid the uncontrolled building of dugouts, temporary barracks and constructions” [13, p.36].

In 1965 town squares are laid out, streets, yard territories, sites of kindergartens and schools are planted. During this year 4322 trees and 31692 bushes were planted. Totally from the beginning of the period of planting, i.e. since 1960, 60302 trees and 97866 bushes were planted.

All that was the result of the creative activity of employees of the expedition from Institute of Botany АS of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic that was engaged in working out scientific bases of city planting. On the basis of Michurin principle of plant acclimatization they grew the collections of plants and planted them in the dendropark. B.B.Romanovich, candidate of botanic sciences, was the head of the expedition. Research assistants A.A.Мukhoryanova, E.Volkovskaya were also in the expedition.

The system of streets and highways is the third and basic uniting city system. The value of this system defines the major social requirements of modern city life. Among them: mobility of movement, economy of time, protection against harmful influence of transport on vital conditions and from danger of street traumatism.

Time factor is one of the main criteria of city life. All functional areas which are the basic formations of city structure should receive such communications that at the minimum quantity of intracity trips the time spent for them, does not exceed 20-30 minutes [13, p.52].

Arkalyk is divided into microdistricts, in this connection the convenient and shortest walking communication of microdistricts with the centres is provided and allows to conduct parallel development of territories of town centres, providing target unity of building at all stages of its construction.

The problems connected with rest of the population were solved in a peculiar way. Unlike other places there are no country vacation spots in Arkalyk. Lifeless steppe on tens and hundreds kilometres is around it. Therefore it was necessary to find the solution of a problem of rest in the residential area where for this purpose it was considered to solve the problem of planting.

The experience of building Arkalyk shows that at the first stages of building it is irrational to create temporary settlements.

The arrangement of the first stage of building under the relation to all residential city territory can be peripheral and central. If there is the possibility of choice the first one deserves preference as it allows to provide more rational directed development of the subsequent stages of city building.

For Arkalyk the peripheral variant was chosen.

The town architects managed to achieve the agglomerations of residential buildings of the first stage to be finished structural units of the town (microdistrict, residential area) with the necessary complex of service establishments - daily and periodic, and also episodic (administrative, cultural, sports and medical institutions and facilities).

On August 30th, 1967 the project of the town layout developed by Moscow architectural institute of complex designing was submitted for consideration of the Executive Committee of Arkalyk Town Council of deputies of workers. Under the project the conclusion was accepted. Initially under the general layout developed in 1959-1960 by Mosgorstrojprojekt it was considered to build the town with one and two-storeyed houses.

The general layout developed by Moscow architectural institute of complex designing in 1960-1962 considered the occurred changes. On September 29th, 1961 the Executive Committee of Arkalyk Town Council having studied the question ”On the town general layout”, design materials in full according to rules and norms of layout and building of cities decided:

“To approve the general layout of the town and the project of building microdistrict 2 that provides the building of the microdistrict along the bank according to standard projects of three and four-storeyed houses build of local construction materials. To approve placing of the town public and shopping centre near the park and the hospital complex in the southeast part of the town” [14, p.14].

In the projected apartment houses the possibility of laying gas networks, maximum planting and asphalting of microdistricts and other town territories was provided.

The given project of the town was caused by the fast development of the town in connection with the natural resources development in Turgai by Ministry of nonferrous metallurgy and Ministry of building enterprises of metallurgical and chemical industry. The design population accepted 185 thousand people, including for the first stage - 115 thousand people [15, p.1-2].

 

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