- Статьи
- Society
- A city without floors: The State Duma may ban high-rise buildings in towns and villages with a shortage of infrastructure
A city without floors: The State Duma may ban high-rise buildings in towns and villages with a shortage of infrastructure
A new draft law is being discussed in Russia, proposing to ban the construction of multi-storey buildings in settlements with a shortage of transport, housing and communal services and social infrastructure above 50%. The restriction is planned to be introduced until 2030. The law has caused a wide response among industry representatives: experts assess its socio-economic consequences and impact on the housing market. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Is there a shortage of housing and rising prices due to the ban
In Russia, a ban on the construction of multi-storey buildings in settlements with an infrastructure deficit of over 50% may come into force. The corresponding draft law of the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation suggests amendments to the Urban Planning Code. According to the proposed innovation, permits for the construction of multi-storey residential complexes will not be issued in settlements where transport, housing, communal and social infrastructure are insufficiently developed if its deficit exceeds the established threshold. It is assumed that the decision to issue a permit will be made by the regional executive body after a mandatory assessment of the state of the infrastructure conducted by the authorized federal executive body.
Izvestia sent a request to the office of Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, and Dom.Russian Federation" with a request to provide opinions on the legislative novelty.
Ilya Ponomarev, a member of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Construction, points to the urgent need for this legislative initiative, but recognizes that the problem needs to be addressed in its entirety.
— A local decision to ban construction in such cities can be considered as an emergency measure to solve existing problems, but systematically this task should be solved by restoring the practice of meaningful management of spatial development, starting from the region's STP, the master plan, the draft territory planning, which should include a feasibility study and a timetable for implementation, as it was previously. then such situations will be excluded in principle," he points out.
The expert notes that last winter's utility accidents were largely caused by the practice of local solutions without linking them to complex macro-systems in the field of energy, transport, and others.
Nadezhda Kosareva, Head of the Housing Policy Commission under the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, President of the Institute of Urban Economics Foundation, notes the need to take into account regional regulations and the mechanism of interaction between developers and the city.:
— The need for social infrastructure is determined by regional and local standards of urban planning design, which establish both the minimum required level of provision of the population with such facilities and the maximum permissible level of their territorial (temporary) accessibility, — the expert comments.
In her opinion, the ban on housing construction alone is unlikely to stimulate a solution to the accumulated shortage of infrastructure. In this case, there will be no other source for eliminating the deficit other than the budget. Moreover, the housing shortage will increase, which means that housing prices will also rise, she said.
Anton Glushkov, President of the National Association of Builders (NOSTROI), sees another possible problem besides the expected price increase.
— People may start leaving regions with limited construction and high prices in search of more affordable housing in other regions, which may lead to a decrease in the labor force in the region. Also, a ban on the construction of high—rise buildings may lead to the fact that existing residential complexes will simply be overloaded," he points out.
An alternative to local bans
Alexander Tsybaykin, head of the Department of Architecture of Residential Buildings at the Moscow Architectural Institute, notes that the issue of socio-economic consequences is timely, since the ban on the construction of multi—storey buildings will not force developers to use medium-rise buildings, but will only allow the construction of high-rise residential buildings once again.
— A larger percentage of the public does not distinguish "multi-storey" houses from "high—rise" ones, - he says. — For most residents, everything that is tall means "multi—storey", and their agreement with the ban will further untie the hands of those who want to build a high-rise building, exacerbating the imbalance of socio-economic indicators.
Nina Danilina, Head of the Department of Urban Planning at MGSU, talks about the existing methods and the dual nature of the consequences of the ban.
— The methods of measuring and assessing the provision of the population with various types of infrastructure already exist and are approved by the Code of Rules "Urban Planning" and regional standards of urban planning design, — she reminds.
The expert adds: the indicators of security are calculated based on the official population size and have a high degree of objectivity and reliability. The task of the city authorities is to track these indicators and make decisions on banning the construction of housing that is not provided with infrastructure.
The risks of freezing construction and rising housing costs
The head of the ERZ.Kirill Kholopik of the Russian Federation doubts the viability of the initiative and notes that the state is shifting its responsibilities for creating social and engineering infrastructure to developers. And without them, this infrastructure will not be created, he believes.
Andrey Safronyuk, CEO of Rodina Group, draws attention to the balance between benefits and risks.
— The issue of implementing a mechanism related to the ban on the construction of multi-storey buildings in regions with a shortage of infrastructure is ambiguous. On the one hand, the proposed bill can raise living standards and improve the quality of the urban environment, as it will synchronize the development of infrastructure and housing construction. It will also allow to limit spontaneous construction, — the interlocutor of Izvestia notes.
The representative of FGC Region recalls that in regions where the developer, due to low housing prices, does not have the opportunity to implement the full amount of infrastructure, the state takes on part of the burden. According to him, this is implemented by issuing local regulations or by issuing a widely used form — the Integrated Territorial Development Agreement (CDT), where both the developer and the region have obligations, including for the construction of infrastructure.
In light of this, Senator and ASI expert Olga Epifanova notes that, in fact, regions often do not have enough funds to properly develop the necessary infrastructure. That is why the bill has the right to life, she believes.
— A positive scenario is possible with the simultaneous launch of infrastructure investment programs: if the ban on high-rise buildings is accompanied by targeted financing of social facilities and engineering networks, as well as public monitoring of implementation. Otherwise, by 2030 we will not get improved cities, but "frozen" territories, where the demand for housing has left along with buyers and investors," says Natalia Kruglova, Managing partner at Trophy Assets.
Social burden and potential of low-rise construction
Andrey Sado, Managing Partner of Penny Lane Realty, shares his view on the impact of the draft law on the quality of the urban environment.
— The social burden on cultural facilities and parks is measured through surveys of kindergarten and school leaders, who report on empty spaces and queues. This data can be checked by social services, guardianship authorities, and prefectures. It is necessary to take into account the load on the engineering systems of residential buildings, especially during the construction of high-rise buildings.
In his opinion, it is important to provide sufficient water supply, electricity and heating, and boiler houses must meet the requirements. The traffic load is more difficult to estimate, it varies depending on the time of day. A ban on multi-storey construction in areas with underdeveloped infrastructure can bring positive socio-economic results, he is confident.
Urban Awards experts highlight the key shortcomings of the bill. Firstly, neither the text of the bill nor the explanatory note to it prescribes a set of criteria: it is only about "meeting the needs of the population." Secondly, the 50% deficit rate was chosen completely arbitrarily, and it is unclear how it will be calculated.: for each type of infrastructure individually or in their entirety. If individually, does this mean that the shortfall in any one item is sufficient to ignore all other parameters if the standard is met?
— Thirdly, the scale of the settlement is surprising, — Urban Awards notes. — If it is a village or a settlement, then it is quite acceptable, but if we are talking about any significant city, then it loses all meaning. In some locations (the center, old residential areas) The situation with schools and kindergartens may be quite good, but there are traditionally not enough such facilities on the outskirts. Does this mean that the entire construction industry in the city needs to be stopped? — the experts ask the question.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
