Acting Governor of Perm Territory Maxim Reshetnikov told the head of state about plans for a large-scale modernisation of urban space.
So far, only two kilometres out of 70 of the city’s Kama River embankment have been modernised. The rest is occupied by industrial plants and a railway. The city government has proposed dismantling the railway line to create a new urban space and improve the embankment in preparation for the 300th anniversary of Perm to be marked in 2023. Cargo transit will be redirected to a parallel rail line on the other side of the river. A tram will be launched in the vacated area.
The authorities also plan to place a local history museum and the Perm Art Gallery on the updated embankment. The historical buildings of the river station and the Perm-1 railway station will house the Russia Is My History exhibition. A building housing the second stage of the Opera and Ballet Theatre may also be built there.
The modernisation plan also calls for installing a flight of steps leading down to the riverbank in another location, the esplanade, where key cultural events take place. At the third site, where the Perm-2 station and the university are located, they plan to alter the grid of city blocks. The authorities propose to use the vacated area for youth educational, sports and leisure infrastructure facilities. This can also be the location of a convention hall and a multi-purpose sports arena.
The Perm authorities have already begun modernising transport infrastructure at the railway station, where a modern interchange hub is under construction.