The Emotional Map of the City: Andrey Kalinin on Experiencing Moscow at Architect’s Day 2026
Andrey Kalinin, co-founder of the interdisciplinary architecture team akvk+partners, took part in Architect’s Day 2026. The large-scale event was held on July 3−4 at the Design Factory in Moscow under the theme Architecture as a Feeling. The program explored the emotional perception of architecture and the urban environment, the impact of redevelopment on the city’s emotional map, new directions for Moscow’s development, and the ways architecture engages with people on a sensory level.
Andrey Kalinin spoke at the roundtable Emotional Moscow: Where Does the City Hold Love — and Where Does It Hold Anxiety?, one of the central events of the festival’s second day. He spoke about places in Moscow that evoke surprise, anxiety, hope, and affection, and shared his professional perspective on what a contemporary city should be.
The discussion focused on personal experiences associated with specific places in the capital, exploring why the same streets and neighborhoods can evoke entirely different emotions in different people.
Andrey Kalinin approached the city through both his professional and personal experience. In his view, the way Moscow is perceived is directly connected to who is interacting with the urban environment — and how. He identified four primary modes of experiencing the city: walking, cycling, driving, and using the metro. Each reveals a different Moscow: walking allows people to notice architectural details and scenes of everyday life; cycling reveals connections between neighborhoods; driving creates its own routes through the city; while the metro forms an entirely different network of movement and connections.
"When you experience the city through all of these modes of movement, the picture becomes more complete. You begin to experience the city as it really is," said Andrey Kalinin.
As the architect noted, his most positive emotions are associated with changes in the urban environment and its natural evolution. He highlighted the areas around Paveletsky Railway Station and Shelepikhinskaya Embankment as examples.
"Hope emerges in places where you can see the city renewing itself naturally. It is an important process that needs constant attention — a city should not be frozen at a particular point in time."
At the same time, development does not mean abandoning the historic environment. Architectural landmarks and established urban ensembles need to be preserved, while the city as a whole should continue to evolve.
In his emotional map of Moscow, Andrey Kalinin emphasized the role of personal experience in shaping our relationship with the city. Everyone develops their own emotional map, influenced by personal history, profession, lifestyle, and many other factors.
For Kalinin, the scale and complexity of a metropolis make it capable of offering an exceptionally broad spectrum of experiences. The city can speak to each person in a different tone — one shaped by their professional background, way of life, and individual understanding of how the city and society evolve.
Andrey Kalinin spoke at the roundtable Emotional Moscow: Where Does the City Hold Love — and Where Does It Hold Anxiety?, one of the central events of the festival’s second day. He spoke about places in Moscow that evoke surprise, anxiety, hope, and affection, and shared his professional perspective on what a contemporary city should be.
The discussion focused on personal experiences associated with specific places in the capital, exploring why the same streets and neighborhoods can evoke entirely different emotions in different people.
Andrey Kalinin approached the city through both his professional and personal experience. In his view, the way Moscow is perceived is directly connected to who is interacting with the urban environment — and how. He identified four primary modes of experiencing the city: walking, cycling, driving, and using the metro. Each reveals a different Moscow: walking allows people to notice architectural details and scenes of everyday life; cycling reveals connections between neighborhoods; driving creates its own routes through the city; while the metro forms an entirely different network of movement and connections.
"When you experience the city through all of these modes of movement, the picture becomes more complete. You begin to experience the city as it really is," said Andrey Kalinin.
As the architect noted, his most positive emotions are associated with changes in the urban environment and its natural evolution. He highlighted the areas around Paveletsky Railway Station and Shelepikhinskaya Embankment as examples.
"Hope emerges in places where you can see the city renewing itself naturally. It is an important process that needs constant attention — a city should not be frozen at a particular point in time."
At the same time, development does not mean abandoning the historic environment. Architectural landmarks and established urban ensembles need to be preserved, while the city as a whole should continue to evolve.
In his emotional map of Moscow, Andrey Kalinin emphasized the role of personal experience in shaping our relationship with the city. Everyone develops their own emotional map, influenced by personal history, profession, lifestyle, and many other factors.
For Kalinin, the scale and complexity of a metropolis make it capable of offering an exceptionally broad spectrum of experiences. The city can speak to each person in a different tone — one shaped by their professional background, way of life, and individual understanding of how the city and society evolve.
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