Daria Agranovskaya

Edges of Change

A bottom-up urban design strategy to restore identity, balance, and connection in Moscow’s periphery 
 

Set in the peripheral district of Northern Izmailovo in Moscow, Edges of Change explores how small-scale, people-centred design can spark broader urban transformation in post-Soviet housing areas. Often perceived as static, underserved, and socially fragmented, these neighbourhoods hold untapped potential to become active, adaptive, and inclusive parts of the city. 

The project challenges the conventional top-down logic of redevelopment by asking: 
How can micro-scale interventions rooted in everyday life address systemic urban challenges? 

Through spatial analysis, on-site observations, and interviews with residents, the project identifies six core issues—ranging from public-private disconnect and functional imbalance to identity erosion and mobility dependency. In response, it proposes a phased design strategy that starts from the doorstep and gradually expands in scale and impact. The first step introduces informal interventions—urban gardens, benches, and symbolic thresholds—placed near building entrances. These evolve into shared pavilions and communal spaces, eventually forming a local social infrastructure embedded within the urban fabric. 

What sets Edges of Change apart is its fundamental belief in people as agents of urban transformation—not passive recipients of policy or design, but as collaborators, caretakers, and everyday experts. By seeing residents not as obstacles but as essential resources, the project reframes the role of the urban designer: to listen, to respond, and to build from the lived experience of place. 

Rather than presenting a finished product, Edges of Change offers a methodology: a way to engage the periphery, unlock local capacity, and grow change from within. 

Graduation date: 10 July 2025
Graduation committee: Iruma Rodríguez Hernández (mentor), Léa Soret, Alexandra Chechetkina 
Additional members for the exam: Sebastian van Berkel, Giacomo Gallo