Students of the educational program “Foreign language: two foreign languages”, studying the discipline “Local lore” and engaged in research on the history of the Karaganda region shared their feedback on participation in the dialogue platform with the invitation of the head of the group of architects of the CHU “Center of Urban Studies” A. Voloshin. This meeting was held as part of a series of events dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the city of Karaganda.
The dialogue platform with Alexey Voloshin, a representative of the group of architects of the Center for Urban Studies, which took place on October 15, 2024, left a deep impression due to the relevance of the topics raised and the professionalism of the speaker. Alexey Voloshin shared valuable experience in the field of urban planning and design, which allowed us to look at the development of urbanism from a broader perspective. During the discussion, important issues related to the sustainable development of cities, the integration of modern architectural solutions into existing infrastructure, as well as the importance of the participation of the local community in the planning process were raised.
Special attention was paid to visual examples from city development projects. This allowed us to see more clearly how our city was built and changed over time, demonstrating how architectural ideas and projects were brought to life and adapted to various stages of its development.
On the dialogue platform, I saw a lot of photos illustrating how the city developed. It was very interesting to learn about the processes of social industrialization and to hear a lot of new facts about my hometown. I was particularly interested in the stand located in the city center (opposite the stop “Dietstolovaya”). Alexey Voloshin told me that it was an underground toilet, which completely blocked my interest in this place, and I was shocked! It also became a discovery for me that initially people in the city lived in adobe houses — I had not known about this before.
In general, the meeting became an excellent platform for sharing experiences, giving participants the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from one of the leading experts in the field of urbanism.
Kazi Ayazhan, a student of the IN-24-1k group
Today Alexey Voloshin, the head of the group of architects of the Karaganda Urbanism Center, gave a fascinating lecture on the construction and architecture of the city. He elaborated on the history of the development of the Old City and significant areas such as Maikuduk and Prishakhtinsk. Special attention was paid to the underpass in Maikuduk and the old drama theater, which preserves the cultural heritage of Karaganda.
A.Voloshin also spoke about adobe houses, which played an important role in the early construction of the city. These clay buildings became a symbol of the first settlements and testify to how the city adapted to local conditions and used available materials. The lecturer emphasized that such houses are not just a part of history, but also an important element of understanding the cultural development of the region.
The lecture was informative and fascinating: Alexey Voloshin successfully combined historical facts and architectural aspects with examples from everyday life. Thanks to his easy style of presentation, listeners could not only understand the history of Karaganda more deeply, but also feel the atmosphere of its past eras.
Student of the IN-24-1k group Rakhymzhan Nazerke
The dialogue platform on socio-economic development and urban planning in Central Kazakhstan, based on the example of the city of Karaganda, left a very positive impression. I particularly liked the way the historical development of the city was presented: from its foundation as a mining settlement to a large industrial center. It was interesting to learn about significant urban development projects aimed at modernizing infrastructure and improving the living conditions of citizens.
The presentation about the current construction and plans for the expansion of the city also turned out to be very informative. I learned about new residential complexes that are being built taking into account modern requirements for comfort and environmental sustainability. I was pleased that during the development process attention is paid to the creation of public spaces and green areas, which makes the city more attractive to live in.
Veronika Kokorina, a student of the IN-24-1k group
I want to express my deep gratitude to Alexey Voloshin, head of the group of architects of the Center for Urban Studies for a unique and comfortable dialogue platform, I learned for myself a lot of points concerning not only the creative component of the city of Karaganda, but also the historical component, even about my place of residence: Prishakhtinsk, about adobe houses, about the old town between Prishakhtinsk and New by the city, about the only preserved building of the Kazdramtheater. The speaker also demonstrated a number of objects in a visual comparison, such as: the Miners’ Recreation Center, the Shalkyma Theater, the Bolashaq Academy, the Central Park, the airport and the history of its structure, the Southeast and much more. He talked about the difference between standard and individual projects from the perspective of an architect. Moreover, Alexey discovered for me a new aspect in design, like the color scheme in the city of Karaganda, mostly yellow, burgundy, i.e. all warm colors are a priority. The presentation was clear, useful and packed with the most important components. I also want to note that Alexey is a wonderful speaker, sociable and sets a friendly tone for communication and expression of the audience. I am sure that in the future Alexey will reveal the city of Karaganda from an even more creative side, since he is a professional in his field and is sincerely interested in this. In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to the moderator of the meeting, senior lecturer Aliya Ukuzhanovna, for organizing such a high-level event, which provided an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in such significant and informative topics related to our city and allowed them to be involved in the processes of urban development. I am sure that such meetings are of great importance for forming a comprehensive view of the architecture and culture of our region. Thank you very much from the student of the IN-24-1K group Agibayeva Alina.