Modernising the Waterfront: Urban Green, Built Environment and Social Life of the Baku Promenade Darieva, Tsypylma
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www.ssoar.info Modernising the waterfront: urban green, built environment and social life of the Baku promenade Darieva, Tsypylma Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Darieva, T. (2015). Modernising the waterfront: urban green, built environment and social life of the Baku promenade. Europa Regional, 22.2014(1-2), 65-79. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-456899 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. 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Tsypylma Darieva: Modernising the Waterfront: Urban Green, Built Environment and Social Life of the Baku Promenade Modernising the Waterfront: Urban Green, Built Environment and Social Life of the Baku Promenade TSYPYLMA DARIEVA Abstract Zusammenfassung This paper comprises of a description and analysis of material- Modernisierung am Wasser: Städtisches Grün, ity and social life of one specific urban public space, the Baku bebaute Umwelt und soziales Leben der Promenade Promenade. Drawing on ethnographic field work in Azerbaijan, von Baku I provide some insights into Baku’s experience of the recent Dieser Beitrag besteht aus einer Beschreibung und einer modernization of urban public space by looking at the method Analyse der Materialität und des sozialen Lebens eines spezifi- of modernization employed to realize the visions of a public schen öffentlichen Ortes im städtischen Raum – der Promenade green park. Particular attention will be paid to the role of trees in Baku. Unter Bezugnahme auf die Ergebnisse ethnografischer and green architecture as a tool for ordering the city and the Feldforschung in Aserbaidschan gebe ich einen Einblick in den political mobilization of nature in the process of constructing Modernisierungsprozess von öffentlichem Raum. Dabei socialist and post-socialist public spaces in Azerbaijan. Beyond konzentriere ich mich auf die Modernisierungsmethode, die bei the changing materiality of the built environment and urban der Konstruktion einer öffentlichen Grünanlage, eines Erho- green, I discuss how the Baku Promenade has been perceived lungsparks, zum Einsatz kam. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt and used by ordinary people, as well as the meanings visitors liegt dabei auf der Rolle von Bäumen und grüner Architektur attach to the urban park in their memories of the late Soviet als Werkzeug zur urbanen Ordnung und politischen Mobilisie- era. I argue that the official redevelopment of Baku Promenade rung der Natur im Kontext des sozialistischen und postsozialis- has purified the space not only from the materiality of its tischen Lebens in Aserbaidschan. In einem Ansatz, der über die Soviet era asphalt, but also from its egalitarian sociality and sich verändernde Materialität hinausgeht, erörtere ich, wie die local intimacy of tree-shaded walkways. Baku Promenade von ganz normalen Menschen wahrgenom- men und genutzt wird, jedoch auch, welche Bedeutung Besu- Urban green, modernization, Azerbaijan, waterfront, sociality, leisure cher dem Stadtpark in ihren Erinnerungen an die späte Sowjetzeit beimessen. Ich argumentiere dahingehend, dass die rezente Sanierung und Kommerzialisierung der Promenade den öffentlichen Raum nicht nur von der Materialität seines Asphalts aus der Sowjetära befreit hat, sondern auch von seiner egalitären Geselligkeit und der von Bäumen beschatte- ten lokalen Vertraulichkeit. Stadtpark, Modernisierung, Aserbaidschan, Ufer, Sozialität, Freizeit 65 Europa Regional 22, 2014 (2015) 1-2 Советский парк – массовый парк, он an object of governance ( 1988; Orient included adults’ and children’s проводит огромную культурно- sports, educational entertainment, wal- Mitchell воспитательную работу; его was designed as “the cradle of progress king and viewing the landscape; they Rabinow 1989), and the socialist city посетитель – трудящийся самых - were beyond the reach of religious desi- различных национальностей. mative modernity” ( et al. res and the traditional norms of leisure and (…) a generative model of transfor activity within private courtyards, which Alexander The Soviet park is a park for masses and issue outlined in their introduction, this were regulated by the hierarchy of kins- 2007, p. 3). As the editors of this special it is the place to promote the cultu- instrumental understanding of the city is hip and gender segregation. ral-educational work; its visitors are characteristic of Soviet urbanism, and outlined the meaning of the Soviet urban Humphrey workers of very different nationalities.1 found its expression in the realms of ur- courtyard (dvor ban design, infrastructure and architec- urban ideology of Russia’s residential ) and of greening for the In the past, the city had a soul; today it ture. Another integral part of Soviet city areas, where inhabitants were expected has become beautiful and shiny, in a planning as a tool for effective governan- to cultivate a sense of collective well- somehow unfamiliar and scary way. ce was urban green and garden art, who- being in a micro-climate by spending se mission was to reinforce the dominan- hours doing voluntary work, such as ce of ideology and to frame a view of an planting trees, gardening and watering (Pаньше у города была душа, сейчас 2 - ( только лоск и красота не понятная, а Vyacheslav Sapunov 2011 vements. Adapting Howard’s Garden City urban courtyard in Soviet cities was где-то даже пугающая …) official building glorifying socialist achie Humphrey 2005, p. 52). However, the principles, the fundamental idea of Soci- planned for recreation and communal Introduction alist Realism included not only4 building services as a protected inner area, cont- Commemorating the centenary of the microrayan5 as the socialist neighbour- rasted with the outer zone of streets and Baku Promenade, the newspaper Bakin- hood unite, Palaces of Culture ( - squares. As in the West ( skiy Rabochiy - 1999; and the Soviet state had been engaged in de- Siegel Berman 1988), cally wrote on August 14th 2009 about a the House of Pioneers ( - veloping mass leisure culture and one can (Baku Worker) enthusiasti baum Donahoe Habeck 2011), modernization and re-development pro- blic sites of human engineering, but also observe a spectacular growth of open air Reid 2002) as pu ject, initiated and funded by the state au- environmental planning. Indeed, in the leisure activities also in traditional Mos- thorities: “New modernized hotels and a studies of socialist modernity, little atten- lem societies. Similar to Gorky Central business centre are already under const- tion has been given to the meaning of Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow, ruction on Baku Promenade. The most green elements of public buildings, parks parks in the Caucasus and Central Asia positive news is that all industrial struc- and green stripes in the city as equally should provide a new space for Soviet tures located within the construction grandiloquent symbols of socialist urba- ‘spiritual values’ and the new understan- area will be removed. This will improve nism. Construction of green spaces for ding of nature, a healthy environment for the ecological situation and the environ- public use occurred on both sides of the the leisure of the working masses. ment in our Baku Bay”3. world. Like Nazi Germany`s Kraft durch Exploring the changing materiality of In this paper, I provide some insights Freude folk campaigns, the mission of the public space and the redesigning of urban into Baku’s experiences in the recent ‘mo- Park of Culture was to emancipate, civili- green landscape in Azerbaijan, in the fol- dernisation’ of urban public space by loo- ze and nationalize workers’ free time and lowing pages I discuss how Baku Prome- king at the method of modernization em- leisure by promoting the active use of pu- nade has been designed by city planners ployed to realize the visions of a public blic spaces, hygienic habits, fresh air and and how it has been perceived and used green park. Particular attention will be access to nature. But unlike European by ordinary people. It will be suggested paid to the role of trees as tool of orde- and US American experiences, modern that visitors’ memories