Review article

The St. Petersburg strategy of cultural heritage preservation specifies that «the key objects of cultural heritage protection are parameters and characteristics of the environment, including the planning module of quarters and sites, the scale, height and articulation of the building mass», but there are no elucidation regarding protection parameters of ordinary urban development. The issues of residential quarters` formation in the historical center are rarely considered in scientific works at present, and, in case they are, it is usually done at a theoretical or very general level. The analysis undertaken reveals the formation mechanism of the planning module of building sites in the historical center of St. Petersburg. The authors emphasize the need for creating an inextricable connection of architectural activities and urban management within the framework of urban areas` development.