Submitted by WA Contents
Muscovites are voting by smartphone on whether to demolish a beloved modernist landmark
United Kingdom Architecture News - Jun 28, 2014 - 12:42 1689 views
Will it stay or will it go? Photo by Flickr user 5nap
The Moscow city government is asking citizens to weigh in on the fate of the Shukhov radio tower, a rusted icon of Soviet constructivist architecture that’s threatened with demolition. Designed by Vladimir Shukhov, the 92-year-old steel-lattice structure has been called Russia’s Eiffel Tower, but years of official neglect have left it badly in need of repairs.
Russia’s state broadcasting committee announced this spring that the tower would be dismantled and relocated, likely opening up the site to valuable development. Protesters, preservationists, and a starry array of international architects have petitioned President Vladimir Putin to reconsider, and restore the state-owned structure instead.
The vote, which began this week and runs until July 6, is being held on Active Citizen, an iOS and Android app released by the city last month. The app polls citizens on topics such as street-tree planting and changes to daylight savings time. On the question of the Shukhov tower, they’re being asked to choose between dismantling the tower and refurbishing it.
Other cities already use apps such as SeeClickFix and iCity to promote civic engagement and let residents report problems, though neither have provided platforms for popular referendums. Active Citizen goes a step further by offering incentives for participation: “free museum and theatre tickets, a Troika [metro] card, an hour of free parking, bicycle rentals, or other city services.”...Continue Reading
> via Quartz