Regional Center Landscape Evolution in the Middle Volga Region

The paper discusses the development of Samara’s urban space in the focus of the planning structure of the city and its territorial growth. The stages of development of the urban landscape from the moment of the city’s foundation to the beginning of the XX century are studied. During this time, Samara has gone from a small fortress with narrow functionality to a large commercial and industrial administrative center. Its functioning required a special organization of urban space. The historical planning structure was chaotic, which, combined with mass wood construction, led to regular devastating fires and hampered the development of the city. A turning point in the development of the urban area of the regional centers of the Middle Volga region should be considered the appearance of master plans with regular construction, which ordered the urban space. The city went beyond the boundaries of the plan as the urban population grew, and the city authorities could not always cope with the situation, so chaotic buildings continued to grow on the periphery of the city. The analysis of the problems of architectural development of the city showed that eclecticism and Art Nouveau had the greatest impact on the urban landscape.