*4.2. The Historical–Cultural and Historical–Architectural Heritage of Gyumri*

The survey carried out in Gyumri revealed eight places that, according to young people, deserve special attention of citizens and guests of the city. Among these were a church, a square, one memorial complex, a park, a theater, a city hall, and a museum (Figure 3).

**Figure 3.** Visual model of Gyumri with an indication of buildings that young people find attractive and interesting.

Responses to the question "What historical building in your city do you consider the most beautiful, deserving of special attention?" indicated the following preferences:


The Black Fortress is a round-shaped fortification built in the middle of the 19th century, after the end of the war between Russia and Turkey. It features among the main architectural highlights of Gyumri. The fortress is a short distance from the city center, and is currently under reconstruction with the intent to create a museum space. From the side of the fortress there are panoramic views of the city and its surroundings. Inside the fortress there is a large room where entertainment events are held privately, including events for young people.

The church mentioned in the survey was built in 1882–1887 on the site of the chapel where the icon "Seven Sorrows of the Holy Virgin" was kept. The building of this Catholic Church is constructed of processed black tuff, and is located in Vardanants Square, the central square of the city. The central location and the presence of a square in front of the church, with places for leisure and a fountain, allows residents and visitors to appreciate the architecture of this object.

The buildings in the open-air architectural reserve "Kumayri" reflect the spirit of old Gyumri, and are of Armenian architecture. Today Kumayri includes about 1100 monuments of national architecture, some of which are known from the films of A. Mkrtchyan. They are well structured; their décor includes different levels of scale and is devoid of monotony. Such objects, according to video ecology, favorably affect all people without exception since they are devoid of aggression [34] (p. 25). In addition, the unique historical and architectural environment of the place largely determines the identity of the city, including its authentic quarters, which are well preserved and harmonious. All the objects selected by students are described in information material for tourists and are included in lists of significant places to visit in the city, according to various Internet guides and tourist resources [35].

The list of places where young people gather revealed two obvious leaders, i.e., Vardanants Square and Theater Square. However, shortcomings in the field of symbolic economy can be identified, since the historical and architectural potential of the place has not been fully put to value. It is no coincidence that the American city researcher Zukin noted that, "by the combination of architectural motifs, culture plays a key role in the redevelopment strategy, which is based on the idea of preserving the local historical heritage" [16] (p. 17). The results of this youth survey can serve as an additional argument in favor of working with the historical and architectural heritage of Gyumri. All the objects selected by students are presented in information materials for tourists and are included in lists of significant places to visit in the city, according to various Internet guides and tourist resources. Vardanants Square is the central square of the city, near which are located six of the eight cultural and historical objects selected by respondents. It is in this urban space that the city's main cultural events take place, and citizens gather for fairs, rallies, or holidays. In our view, the opinions of students about centers of attraction for young people in their city were largely determined by the central location of this meeting place for citizens for various situational recreational practices, as indicated in Figure 4.

**Figure 4.** Visual model of Gyumri with indication of places and spaces where young people gather.

In general, the question "Near which sights of your city do young people gather more often?" received the following answers in Gyumri:


Five out of eight nominations overlapped between Gyumri students' preferences of most attractive buildings or places and places chosen for socializing: The Seven-Sorrows Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Kumayr Museum Reserve, Vardanants Square, Memorial complex "Mother Armenia", and the Gyumri Theater square. The two most frequently visited objects are open rectangular spaces, next to which there are places for recreation, a fountain, and a cafe. They are organized by enclosing buildings, and improved streets for pedestrian promenade. This is a habitable and at the same time open urban environment suitable for a traditional family holiday in Gyumri. Its frame is a low-rise building and mountains that do not obscure the visual perspectives of those who spend time in these favorite places. In the first square, ancient temples, coexist with buildings of the city administration, city cafes, and museums, as in many world cities. Also in the square there is one of the remaining operating cinemas, located in a building typical of cinemas in the Soviet period. The pedestrian street of Ryzhkov and the area of the Kumayri reserve are adjacent to it. The Theater Square, developed in the Soviet period and largely preserving the spirit of that era, cannot but be reflected in the minds of Gyumri youth. There exists a general love of the inhabitants of this city for theatrical art and the frequent practice of regular visits to the theater by the whole family. Student youth in Gyumri see themselves in landscaped spaces, spending time on those streets that have been improved to allow strolls, the meeting of company, and family activities. The organic urban environment, the connection of the central square with pedestrian streets, and the accessibility and proximity of the city park of the "Soviet period" allow the visitor to grasp the spirit of the city.

#### *4.3. The Historical–Cultural and Historical–Architectural Heritage of Timisoara*

Timisoara, Romania's third largest city, has a rich history. It began with a small fortress, which today is located in the historical center of the sprawling city. Respondents to the survey identified eight buildings (places) that young people consider to be the most beautiful in the city (Figure 5). Most of them, as in the two cities described above, are in the city center.

**Figure 5.** A visual model of Timisoara showing the buildings that young people find attractive and interesting.

In general, the question of which historical buildings in Timisoara people consider the most beautiful and deserving of special attention obtained the following nominations:


The first place in terms of frequency of mentions was occupied by the Opera House, built more than a century and a half ago. The theater is in the center of the city, facing the facade of the main Orthodox church in Timisoara, the Cathedral of the Three Saints, which ranked third in the nominations. In between these two building lies Victoria Square (sometimes referred to as the Opera Square or the city center), mainly built in the historical secession style. The second most frequent mentions were for the Dome, located in the center of the "old town", which has been declared an architectural reservation of the

baroque, being one of the latest European squares to be built in this style. In front of it lies a large square—Unirii Square. The square is a very open, pedestrian zone. Since the 1990s the local administration has designated it as the place for open-air cultural events. Its unique harmony and its preservation of the late baroque is evoked in the phrase "Timisoara—the little Vienna", often cited with pride by locals when describing the city. Fourth on the list is the Baroque Palace, in the same square. The palace, built as a royal residence, currently hosts the art museum, and also has a beautiful hall used as a venue for a variety of events including musical concerts and literary festivals. The Unirii Square also contains the beautiful Bruck House, described by local guides as resonating with Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona (Spain). The Water Tower is an industrial monument quite visible from most places in the city, particularly so since the water tram on the Bega River has been operational (2018). However, it most probably received attention because media have intensively promoted the city administration's initiative to turn it into small cultural cafe, a coffee museum dedicated to Francesco Illy (1892, Timisoara–1956, Trieste, Italy), the inventor of an espresso coffee machine that bears his name. However, this initiative has not been operationalized. The tower can be visited, but only upon special appointment as part of the Architectural Tour. The Students' House of Culture remains in the minds of young people as the residence of a literary circle, of the students' theater company, and of important student festivals, but very soon they will have to move such activities to other locations, because the building is part of the Catholic heritage. Finally, the Maria Theresa Bastion, named after the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, covers about 1.7 hectares of the city center. Restored significantly in 2011, it houses the administrative corpus and exhibition areas of the Museum of Banat, the regional touristic information center, commercial spaces, restaurants, bars, a disco, and a library, and also allows passage between the square in front of the Bastion and other important areas of the city.

In the history of the city, the center moved from within the walls of the fortress (demolished in the second half of the 19th century, to make room for the rapidly expanding city) to Unirii Square, later to be moved again to the Victoriei Square. However, the three places are in near proximity, at 5-min walk from one another. Interesting to note is that only one respondent nominated Lloyd Palace (1910–1912, architect Leopold Baumhorn, secession style) as a place of importance, although the building hosts the Politehnica Rectorate, is situated in the proximity of the Opera, and is represented in many postcards and promotional materials [36]. Equally surprising is the fact that respondents did not nominate any of the post-Communist architectural projects, even though, for instance, Iulius Mall, a mixed-use development at the city edge, is one of the preferred places for shopping and leisure time [37].

While some of the nominations for Timisoara may seem surprising, the mentioned buildings and places received unexpected visibility during the pandemic. The Spotlight Heritage Timisoara project [36] has aimed to provide information and stories related to the landmarks of the city in digital and physical formats, in preparation for becoming a European Capital of Culture. Since 2019, it has actively shared via Facebook and other social media platforms stories regarding the history, architecture, social functions, and memoires attached to these historical neighborhoods. Within the framework of the project each featured building or place receives a plate with a description, the information being mirrored in the digital format. Applications of virtual reality have been developed, and in addition to photographs of the landmarks the project included the organization of three thematic exhibitions, involving communities sharing "my story" of the city. However, the heritage of the near past, i.e., the socialist period, while continuing to be evoked for historical events, is hardly represented overall.

In Timisoara, the question of the most visited places showed that the cultural and historical sites that determine the attractiveness and form the image of the city differ from places of youth activity. The survey singled out Unirii Square, the city center, and its parks, of which there are as many as seven, as highlighted in Figure 6.

**Figure 6.** Visual model of Timisoara with an indication of places and spaces where young people gather.

In general, in Timisoara the question "Near what sights of your city do young people most often gather?" received the following nominations:


Except for the Water Tower, which was surprisingly nominated, since there is very little space around it for any type of gathering, the two nominated buildings, the Opera House and the Dome, are integrated in the larger urban spaces of the preferred squares, with many cafeterias and promenade spaces, offering the possibility of spending a lengthy time. Unirii and Victoriei Squares both host city festivals and concerts, mass gatherings for electoral rallies, or other mass events. pecial attention should be given to parks; Timisoara brands itself as "the rose city" or "the city of parks". From April through to October, the weather in Timisoara allows strolls in the open. The Rose Park, located near the student campus and the city center, has a summer theater where various concerts are held and where large graduation ceremonies for students have been organized since 2017. All the nominated parks are used as venues for photo sessions on special occasions (birthdays, baptisms, weddings), so they are quite visible on social media.

#### **5. Discussion**

While the three analyzed cities have different histories and cultural landmarks, it is interesting to note the coincidence of so many characteristics identified during the survey of young people. Their choices of historical and architectural landmarks largely coincided with those mentioned in tourist information for visitors to the city [33,35,37] and/or present on various memorabilia. Despite the presence in the city of buildings belonging to the socialist modernist period, young people singled out mostly buildings and places of earlier times, prior to socialist urban projects, except for in Yekaterinburg. In this city, students identified as worthy of attention two buildings both inaugurated in 1954, the city Duma and the college named after I. Polzunov. Most probably this was due to the central location and the functionality of the places (the college being the main educational space for the respondents). Three out of eight places worthy of showing to visitors belong to postsocialist times: the Yeltsin Center, the Vysotsky skyscraper, and the church erected in the memory of the last Russian Tsar, The Temple on the Blood. These places have undergone a process of "heritagization", as Gravari-Barnas has defined it [38], indicating that the demand for heritage (history, meaning, and transmission) becomes "increasingly pressing in the context of hypermodern societies" [38]. Gyumri and Timisoara, unlike Yekaterinburg, have shown a careful approach to historical sites, and socialist or post-modern buildings are not strikingly present in the hearts of their city centers. In Gyumri the only cultural object mentioned by respondents related to the socialist period was the Mother Armenia complex (1975), due to the high visibility of the monumental statue on top of a hill, and the forest and promenade space nearby. Respondents in Timisoara did not nominate any of the socialist-period buildings, although such references can be found in recommendations to tourists [37]. For their leisure time, students declared that they gravitate towards places with historical architecture or green spaces, allowing communion with nature, without travelling far. Students' awareness of the landmarks of the city represents potential that can be tapped by inviting young people to co-create meanings and branding for their native city or the city chosen for their studies.

The survey method and the visualization of its results allowed us to critically assess how historical and cultural (historical–architectural) objects are included in the consciousness of young people, forming an attractive image and positive perception of their city. While the histories of the three cities are different, it is interesting fact that young people were found to value objects of cultural and historical heritage and architecture mainly from the pre-socialist past, but not older than two centuries. Secondly, in almost all cases the attention of young people was not focused on the architecture of the twentieth century's socialist period, despite its presence in the centers of the analyzed cities. Thirdly, the ratio of the visibility for objects of cultural and historical heritage and architecture favors the city center in all the three cases. This can be explained by the fact that resources invested in landscaping are usually applied in the centers of cities, so the urban infrastructure is better where public spaces such as squares were initially and historically formed. In addition, the convenience of location and its functionality for walks are superimposed onto the traditions of pastime, which have been formed by similar procedures for organizing mass events in different cities, including family traditions of organizing leisure activities. Fourthly, young people react in their representations to the information background, where objects attractive to guests in the city are reflected and especially promoted through various channels, aligning perceptions of the cultural and historical context of urban development. All the presented objects have a vivid presence in of their respective city's representation for tourists, being promoted in city maps, tourist information packages, proposals for tours, posters, postcards, and other memorabilia [33,35,37].

Heritage is a dynamic creative process that occurs in many dimensions, by which society unites, protects, enriches, and projects its culture [1,4,8,38,39]. The results of the current study confirm this standpoint, and encourage the adoption of development strategies that consider the emotional attachment of people towards urban places. In Montgomery's terms, all stakeholders should pay attention to how buildings, public spaces, and mobility systems influence the social lives of inhabitants [40]. Such an effort can foster development strategies in which the social city, the sustainable city, and the happy city are the pursued project. Happy, lively, and livable cities do not belong only to utopian or romanticized visions of urban life, but can be attained if enough energy and skilled innovation are put into the effort.

The potential resource of youth participation in the development of urban areas is huge, but work with this theme can only be based on engagement and sustained interest [4,8,9]. The involvement of young people in the development of urban spaces (as volunteers or brand ambassadors) should be aimed at the reorganization and improvement of places that are well known and significant for those young people, in a form where their interests and proposals can be considered. The participation of young people in the production of places

will allow the development of places corresponding to the ideas and expectations of the modern generation, and promote an increased attachment to it, increasing its significance, and contributing to a responsible attitude to the urban environment [17,21,39].

#### **6. Conclusions**

The direct link between a harmonious city environment and the positive attitude of the population towards their home city is becoming increasingly clear. This attitude serves as a source of sustainability for the city. It is determined not only by specific places and objects and their placement in the urban environment, but also by the kind of social interaction that these spaces create [9,17,20,21,41]. In each of the analyzed cities, the leading positions in the imaginations of generation Z students are central squares, which are open spaces surrounded by historical buildings. The urban interiors of these places have been developing for a long time and have become a hallmark of each city, one of the key elements of its individuality. These spaces are formed by buildings of different epochs, styles and materials, small architectural forms, as well as seasonal retail outlets, with elements of the landscape changing from year to year. They are of interest for young people as locations for meetings, social gatherings, and various leisure activities. Such a preference for a certain location increases the importance of the place in the eyes of young people (creating memories, increasing the degree of involvement in city life) and in the eyes of the city administration (as an obvious indicator of the popularity of the place). These places of action convert the cities we live in into living works of art, where all citizens can interact and fully engage in the process of urban design and development [4,21,40].

Regional cities need to work more actively with their symbolic capitals. At the same time, there should be no arbitrary decisions, because the responsibility is great. Today it is recognized that "replanning and redesigning the processes of life in our cities... is what worries both institutions and citizens. To be successful and meaningful, such processes must be supported by research ... " [26]. Generation Z students live, pursue education, and plan to seek employment in "shifting times" [11,12]. Unless their voices are listened to, making room for their preferences, readiness to action, and energy [1,13,41], they may disengage and seek other places to satisfy their needs and aspirations [4,13]. The 2020–2021 pandemic created a disruption in "the way things are" and the announced "new normal" requires new ideas, fresh thinking, and processes and procedures that citizens will acknowledge as legitimate and "their own" [41,42]. Therefore, it is to be expected that post-pandemic urban planning will pursue humanistic goals, and at the same time consider the preferences and value priorities of young people, while engaging them and inviting them to take part in meaningful projects, including re-socializing cities and re-opening them to visitors and newcomers, as part of a steered (vs. chaotic) "place production" process [17,21,39,41].
