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Moscow's Controversial Redevelopment Plan

Plans to demolish hundreds of decrepit Soviet era apartment blocks have been met with angry protests. Why the resistance? And are the city planners' high-rise dreams misplaced?

Plans to demolish hundreds of decrepit Soviet era apartment blocks in the Russian capital, and potentially replace them with much taller residential towers, have been met with angry protests.

The Â鶹ÊÓƵAV's Oleg Boldyrev reports on the mixed feelings of residents towards what is a gigantic redevelopment scheme, and how the protests reflect a general distrust in the city's government. Plus our Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford explains how the plan is proving to be a PR disaster for the city's mayor, and playing into the hands of the opposition.

But is it a mistake for Moscow to dream so big - or at least so tall? American urban geographer Joel Kotkin tells presenter Ed Butler why he believes it is better to build on a more human scale.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: A partially demolished five-storey apartment block in Moscow; Credit: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

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18 minutes

Last on

Thu 25 May 2017 07:32GMT

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  • Thu 25 May 2017 07:32GMT

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