Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Friday signed a decree relieving the city’s chief architect Sergei Kuznetsov of his duties after nearly 14 years overseeing urban development.
Kuznetsov had been credited with modernizing Moscow’s streetscapes, opening the Moscow River embankment to bike paths and guiding projects including the Luzhniki Stadium renovation for the 2018 World Cup and Zaryadye Park.
Sobyanin’s decree states that Kuznetsov was relieved “at his own request.”
A source close to Moscow’s architecture and planning department told The Moscow Times that Kuznetsov’s tenure had become increasingly controversial within urban planning circles and he was seen as having lost influence over the city’s architectural direction in recent years.
“For the last six months or so, [Kuznetsov] hasn’t really been involved in architectural decisions anyway,” the source said on condition of anonymity since he is not authorized to speak to the press.
“The firing of Kuznetsov is part of broader staffing reshuffles,” he added.
The source identified Artem Dedkov, a former deputy head of the Main Architectural-Planning Department (GlavAPU), as a likely candidate to take over as Moscow’s chief architect.
In December, GlavAPU was merged into Moscow’s central planning and development agency.
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