Multi-apartment buildings are the preferred type of housing for most city dwellers. But the concept of housing is not limited to the door of one's own apartment. It is also important what the house is like, the presence of a yard, the surrounding infrastructure, location relative to the center or city sub-centers and connections with them. In our country, it is stereotypically believed that the most convenient and safe conditions for living are only on private plots in single-family houses. But, as the experience of Europe proves, apartment housing under the conditions of quality planning can also have decent conditions for a full life. And the yard plays an important role in this.

It is important for parents with children to have a space where children can play safely, and working adults are interested in convenient movement through the yard. It is important for older people to have the opportunity to communicate and observe life around them. Studying, resting, doing physical education, meeting with friends, walking are the basic possibilities of a good yard. The yard is a common space of residents who can use it in any way as needed at different times or periods of life.

We had the opportunity to offer an alternative layout of the yard of the residential complex that was being completed. The MOST team joined the project while sections of the building were being completed and the facade work was being completed. A general plan was previously developed, which looked like driveways to the entrances, between which children's and sports grounds were squeezed. Based on the already formed building (sections of the building), we made an alternative re-planning, which clearly identified the area of the pedestrian yard with children's, sports space and recreation area, thought out pedestrian and transport links and separately allocated areas for parking, which do not create conflict points with other functions of the yard.

In the modern world, it is believed that the entire yard should be comfortable and safe for children to stay on their own, and the play area/separate elements should not only entertain, but also develop and can be integrated into the landscape of the yard, combining with the rest of the rest. To meet the various needs of residents, it is necessary to try to create space by separating specific zones, or by combining them without conflict. Over the past 20 years, the possibilities and needs of society have changed significantly, and the patterns of forming a high-quality and safe environment have become obvious. However, the planning of the vast majority of new residential yards continues "as before". Even sham compliance with norms or standards in projects, in practice, leads to the dominance of the parking function in yards, impaired access to entrances, and an increase in the number of conflicts. But is it possible to change the situation in the absence of parking control and at the same time a constant increase in the number of cars owned by residents? This is possible only with a change in approaches to yard planning.

When forming the landscape, elements of geoplastics were used - green hills, which are surrounded by paths. Thus, the landscape of the yard looks more dynamic and natural. A combination of group plantings of pines and birches was chosen as the basis for landscaping elements. Bushes of sod and spirea were planted, which should form a hedge in the future. Maple trees are planted in the parking lot, and linden and pine trees are planted along the path and driveway outside the block. A geogrid with grass was used to pave part of the paths, which also provide access for fire engines. Visually, this allows you to reduce the paving area, and it also drains water better. 

It is worth emphasizing that the planning decisions made it possible to form a pedestrian yard where not only the playground is safe for children, but also the entire yard, and therefore, you can let the child go directly from the entrance door without worrying. It is convenient to learn to ride a bicycle or a scooter on the paths, and use the hills as elements of the game. Directly, the area of the children's playground is equipped with a sandbox with an excavator, a lasagna with a slide and obstacles that train balance, springs and swings, including a nest swing, which is inclusive and is comfortable and interesting to ride not only for children, but also for adults or parents with babies The wooden elements of the playground are chosen with the natural structure of the tree, and some details are painted in yellow, which is an accent and attracts the attention of children. Benches are provided for parents to relax. One of the safety measures on the site is the use of soft paving made of sifting, which is a natural material, drains water well, and also absorbs falls.

If we talk about playing sports, developers often try to insert noisy sports fields into yards. But much more important and useful for most residents is the opportunity to do physical education. A yard, a district, a park where you can comfortably run on unbroken footpaths, the presence of gymnastic elements for exercise - a more effective tool for the prevention of a healthy lifestyle than repairing a stadium in the district. For the most part, benches and tables are not placed in the courtyards, arguing that noisy companies gather behind them. Instead, everyone has a need for rest and meetings with friends. From teenagers for whom concrete support is enough, to old ladies for whom a place to sit can be the greatest entertainment. The yard, in which everyone is interested, can be an extension of our apartment living room. And illumination, care and control are the keys to order. So, after researching all the pros and cons of features to fill the yard, we set up a picnic area with tables, a workout with horizontal bars and bars, benches and interesting lighting that harmoniously blended with the landscape of the yard. Benches and lanterns were used in the project, which the customer made himself according to our drawings.

There are 3 parking lots on the territory of the yard: two for residents, and one in front of commerce. Parking areas are clearly separated from other functional areas of the yard. Planted trees and formed green areas made it possible to better plan the parking area and improve its general appearance. The project provided for the use of lawn grates with screening for paving parking spaces, but this solution could not be implemented. Separately allocated parking allows to place 30% more cars than in the previous version of the project. At the same time, parking does not conflict with other functions of the yard and is placed on its border. This solution eliminated the problem of parking directly in the yard, the main function of which is safe recreation and transit of residents. Access is only possible for emergency vehicles, or for the delivery of materials or furniture. 

The example of this object shows the effectiveness of planning decisions when developing a master plan. With this project, we managed to achieve effective solutions for the clear separation of the yard with recreation areas, barrier-free entrance to the entrances, separate parking, a smaller area of paving of the area of the drain, which is diverted to the street. Also, it is important to emphasize that this housing is in the economy class segment, available for people who have an urgent need to improve living conditions. These planning decisions on landscaping did not increase the cost of housing or maintenance of the yard area, at the same time, they improved its quality and made it safer. As the houses are gradually occupied, it will be interesting for our team to observe how the residents will use the yard and analyze the decisions made.