Ilsur Metshin about the boulevard on Serova Street: “The first square in the republic that is fully accessible for people with disabilities”

This year, due to the preparations for the BRICS Games and Summit, a record number of public spaces are being improved in Kazan. One of them was the boulevard along Serova Street, which will be fully accessible for people with disabilities. There are 12 functional areas– playgrounds, sports grounds and spaces for stimulating the senses. The new boulevard will be saturated with greenery, and the Good Kazan and the Directorate of parks and squares will be responsible for activities. It is planned to complete all work within the first stage by the end of August, and fully open the space in 2025. The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin inspected the progress of construction today.

“This will be the first square in the republic that will be fully accessible for people with disabilities. We usually improve 13-14 public spaces a year, but due to the preparations for the BRICS Games and Summit this year, we are renovating 18 public spaces in Kazan, and we will complete the work during the summer,”- Ilsur Metshin said.

The landscaping of boulevard on Serova Street with an area of 3.9 hectares began last year under the federal project “Formation of a comfortable urban environment”. This year, work continues on the first section.

During the geological work, it turned out that 80% of the trees are either weedy or in bad condition. “We had to work a lot on the trees, we will focus on planting new ones. It will take a lot of them to make the playground come alive. Willow, alder, shrubs, perennials and conifers will be planted along the arboretum,”- Vitaly Volkov shared.

This year, work will also be carried out on the arrangement of the event area, where a stage, a pergola with swings, walking areas with recreation areas, a toilet and an administrative room of the Directorate of parks and squares of the city will be located. A design with a modifiable module is provided on the stage. In summer it will be used to connect lanterns, and in winter it will turn into a New Year's art object. This year, small architectural forms will also be installed, lighting and video surveillance will be provided. More than 100 parking places are planned along the boulevard, including for disabled persons.

According to the project, twelve functional zones are planned to be opened on the boulevard. Such as playgrounds for children, sports grounds with adapted simulators, and spaces for stimulating the senses. One of them will be a sensory garden with various elements: a singing stone, a striped mirror, chimes, a rehabilitation area with aromatherapy, a tactile path.

When designing the boulevard, the opinion of citizens and rehabilitators of the inclusive sports center located next to the mosque was taken into account. At their request, a boccia playground will be equipped on the territory of the space, where adults and children with disabilities will be able to both train and hold competitions.