How can architects transform the driving economy of a preexisting city? The team of de Architekten Cie. + Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners won The City Administration of Chelyabinsk's competition to redesign the historical center of their formerly industrial town based on a scheme that fosters "the city as a breeding ground for social capital." According to a press release, the team's plan transforms the city of approximately 1.5 million people in three principal ways: 

1. Grid: Inclusive realm

Streets are the main public realms in the city. Apart from being spaces for car traffic, they serve as linear public spaces. The redevelopment and upgrading of streets allows for the integration of environmental infrastructure, the organization of slow traffic and public transportation.

2. Blocks: Mixed-use program

The existing blocks in the city leave a lot of empty space yet to be developed. The new masterplan proposes gradual transformation of the existing grid by replacing deteriorated properties and completing building blocks. Residential functions are relocated in the center of the city.

3. Catalyst projects

Specific projects are developed, to revitalize certain areas, add special qualities to the city, or boost development and transformation in direct surroundings. They are strongly related to existing qualities. These projects enable the government to steer in the speed of gradual transformation and the areas where it is happening. The most important project is the redevelopment of the riverfront along the Miass river, redefining the overall identity of Chelyabinsk.