The blue heart of Tatarstan. The territorial development of the Kama, Volga riverspace. A project from the planning office Rethink – office for the build environment, Paris

Abstract

In 2014 our office rethink worked together with the office Labgrad, Saint Petersburg, on a development strategy of the Republic of Tatarstan. The Republic of Tatarstan is crossed by two large and mythic rivers – the Volga and the Kama - and is generally divided by a dense network of river valleys. Today, cities worldwide rediscover their waterfronts and take advantage of their waterfront position to differentiate and to attract residents, jobs and investments in international competition. In our study we set a focus on the potential of the Volga and the Kama River space to become a structuring river corridor, offering a high quality of life and spaces for the new economy. These river spaces create links on national, regional and local level. They form the blue heart of Tatarstan.