Assessment of the Urban Environment Quality for Urban Planning (the Case of St. Petersburg)

ANNOTATION Assessment of the urban environment quality for urban planning (case of St. Petersburg) Key words: urban environment, urban planning, urbanism. The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology for assessing the quality of the urban environment of administrative districts in St. Petersburg. With a view to achieving the goal, several tasks have been put forward. Firstly, to analyze the main regulatory documents and projects that regulate urban environment in St. Petersburg and the Russian Federation on the whole. Secondly, to analyze and delineate the functions of the executive bodies of state power as well as the local authorities of St. Petersburg in the field of regulating urban environment. Thirdly, to examine the main criteria for assessing the quality of urban environment found in the modern urban studies. Fourthly, to create a methodology for assessing the quality of the urban environment of administrative districts in St. Petersburg. Fifthly, to develop guidelines for semi-structured interviews with experts and residents. Sixthly, to submit the created methodology for assessing the quality of the urban environment of administrative districts in St. Petersburg for expert assessment in the framework of semi-structured interviews. Seventhly, to carry out an analysis and assess the quality of certain districts’ urban environment in St. Petersburg using the developed methodology. Eighthly, to work out recommendations for improving the policy of St. Petersburg in the field of regulating urban environment quality. As a result of the analysis, recommendations were worked out to improve the policy of St. Petersburg in the field of urban environment regulations. Recommendations were made both on the implementation of the developed methodology for assessing the quality of the urban environment of administrative districts in St. Petersburg in urban planning, and on the consideration by the authorities of the developed methodology in order to create their own tool for assessing the quality of urban environment in St. Petersburg, updating existing and designing new strategic and territorial planning documents.