New Health Preserving Spots in Suburban Areas (the Example of the City of Khabarovsk, Russia)

The article presents the concept of the formation of health-preserving spots in suburban areas as new forms of recreational environment for health-preservation, communication and leisure, providing the example of a project in the city of Khabarovsk. The project aims to create a unique recreational area in a sharply continental climate and a city of an average population. The project expands the health-preserving opportunities of the urban population to restore health and relax all year round. The purpose of the study is to identify the needs and analyze the possibilities of using the available recreational spots of suburban areas of the city to create particular zones for recreation, sports and leisure. The theoretical foundation of the research is the works by K. Lorenz, E. Toffler and others. [Lorenz, 1998; Toffler, 2002]. The authors hypothesize the relationship of health-preserving opportunities with the formation of special comfortable spots. The paper uses sociological studies about health preserving traditions of city population conducted by a group of researchers of the N. A. Semashko Research Institute and our own research (two focus groups among residents of the city of Khabarovsk). The results of the interview showed that residents of Khabarovsk consider the idea of creating well-maintained special zones in the suburbs, where it is possible to spend free time with health benefits, attractive. The interdisciplinary approach allows us to view the issue from the city-sociological and architectural angles. The article discusses the need to develop a concept for the use of health-preserving spots and the creation of special conditions to address the issue. The authors propose specific organizational ways to build health-preserving spots in suburban areas.