«Formirovaniye Komfortnoy Gorodskoy Sredy» ("Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment") is a federal program (priority project) aimed at improving courtyards and public spaces in Russian cities. In Nizhny Novgorod it has been implemented since the late 2010s; from the 2020s onward it has formed part of the national project "Infrastructure for Life". The program covers both residential courtyards and large public spaces — squares, parks, and embankments.
Implementation in Nizhny Novgorod
During the period when the city was led by Vladimir Panov, the portal admcity.nnov.ru referred to "Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment" as a priority project and reported that the city head planned to conduct weekly inspections of courtyards and public spaces undergoing renovation. At the same time, under Panov, the Nizhny Novgorod Region Agency for Urban Environment Development was established (later reorganized as the Nizhny Novgorod Region Institute for Urban Environment Development), tasked with setting standards for quality public improvement.
Dozens of projects have been completed in the city under the program. In August 2026, a square featuring a pump track and covering approximately 15,000 square meters opened on Kosmonavta Komarova Street in Leninsky District: before the renovation, the site had been a vacant lot with an informal parking area and litter accumulation. That same month, in Sormovsky District near the Korabli residential complex, a public space of over 26,000 square meters was commissioned; the handover was overseen by Mayor Yuri Shalabayev.
In March 2022, renovation work on four public spaces launched simultaneously in Nizhny Novgorod: a square near the Raketa cinema in Sormovo, a square on Marata Street in Kanavinsky District, a public space near building no. 104 on Beryozovskaya Street in Moskovsky District, and the Rokossovskogo Boulevard "Alley of Memory and Glory" in Kuznechikha; Mayor Yuri Shalabayev noted that it was the first time work had begun so promptly. The project for Rokossovskogo Boulevard in Sovetsky District called for the construction of an extensive network of paths and trails, the installation of benches, litter bins, chess tables, and park swings, a children's playground, as well as the planting of around 80 trees, more than a thousand shrubs, and numerous flowers. The project for the square on Marata Street in Kanavinsky District envisaged a new path network, a bicycle lane, a children's playground, new lighting, and additional greenery; the contractor began work ahead of the scheduled deadline.[1]
Sources
- nizhny800.ru — Nizhny 800 — In March 2022, renovation work on four public spaces launched simultaneously in Nizhny Novgorod: a square near the Raketa cinema in Sormovo, a square on