Architectural heritage and the historical identity of towns Authors Valentina Kurochkina National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering; Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia Downloads PDF (Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.51461/issn.2309-3072/88.2793 Published 2026-06-12 Issue No. 88 (2026): local cultures Section refereed articles License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. How to Cite Kurochkina, V. (2026). Architectural heritage and the historical identity of towns. Project Baikal, 23(88), 106-111. https://doi.org/10.51461/issn.2309-3072/88.2793 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver AMA Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Keywords: revitalization, a small town, historical identity, sustainable development, near-water areas Abstract In many small towns, economic development is stagnating, which exacerbates the problem of urban degradation, especially of nearwater areas. This study is devoted to the analysis of the urban development situation in the small towns of Svetlogorsk and Kyshtym in order to identify the possibilities of their revitalization. The author used the method of qualitative comparative analysis of “polar cases”, field surveys, and the study of documentation. In Svetlogorsk, architectural heritage, historical identity and water spaces have become drivers of the revival; in Kyshtym, a similar potential has not been realized. 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