Lex te Loo
Architects

City Park of Nizhny Novgorod

A 3.55-hectare valley park in Nizhny Novgorod, organised by a dual circulation system of raised wooden bridges crossing the valley above and a slow interactive trail running along the ground.

Key challenge

How to design a small valley park (3.55 ha) for four distinct user groups whose visit times range from twenty minutes to four hours, while resolving steep terrain, a vulnerable watercourse, and adjacency to artist studios on the rim.

Concept

The park is read as a living body of the district. The site is organised by an organ-circulation metaphor: arteries (entrances), veins (links to courtyards), capillaries (paths to water). The path system is dual: a fast network of raised wooden bridges in an X-pattern crosses above the valley; a slow interactive trail follows the ground. Ten programme zones cluster into five parts: sport, children, active, quiet, dog. A corten-steel fox at the central crossing is the named landmark. Dual-season programming treats winter as a primary mode.

Location
Sovetsky district, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Year
2025
Status
Concept finalised December 2025
Surface area
3.55 ha (6 ha influence zone)
Type
Public Space, Landscape, Urbanism

A 3.55-hectare valley park in Nizhny Novgorod. Raised wooden bridges cross the terrain in an X-pattern; a slow interactive trail runs along the ground. Ten programme zones for four user groups.

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