BREAKFAST ON THE GRASS

Today in Baku there are almost no places where you can arrange picnics. But soon everyone who wishes to eat and relax on the green grass on the lawn will be able to do so without going to the country. Picnic places will be created under the state programme on the regional development of Baku and will be similar to the same territories in Berlin, New York and other developed cities in the world. Many will ask why we cannot have a picnic on the grass, for example, at the National Boulevard. As it turned out, the problem is about the dry and not quite "lawn" climate of Abseron. According to the deputy chief of the seaside boulevard department, Nazim Macidov, due to climatic conditions in Azerbaijan it is difficult to carry out landscape gardening work and protect vegetation - especially lawn grass. "It requires a lot of physical work. And as there is a great need for green areas in the city, workers and security personnel at the boulevard do not allow people to sit on the grass and hold picnics," he said.

Where shall we relax?

Where is it planned to arrange picnic areas? The head of a department at the State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning, Cahangir Qocayev, has said that the city authorities plan to expand recreational zones at the expense of oil-polluted areas, where wells were located before. Green spaces will be arranged there and a beautiful landscape will be created, Qocayev noted. Thus, the improvement of these areas and the living conditions of people living here is one of the most important issues today, says the representative of the State Committee.

According to him, it is wrong to use the territory of the boulevard, the Upland Park or gardens located within the city for picnics. Therefore, the city authorities plan to create special places for recreation on the grass. To do this, it is necessary to use suburban areas but there are almost no empty plots. In the past, there was a cave in the village of Bakixanov in Baku, which was called "the cave of Stepan Razin". People went to rest there and in the territory of the Hotel Delfin. Now all these places are used for other purposes. Picnics were also arranged not only on the beaches, but also in the olive farm near the road leading to the airport. Now this is not possible due to indiscriminate settlements on these lands. According to Qocayev, if desired, of course, it is possible to move people living on the outskirts of the city and plant a forest, but technically it is difficult to do all that. Therefore, he said, after reducing production in the territory of oil fields and landscaping of these areas, they can be used for recreation.

Creating such places would be wonderful, says architect Rasim Babakisiyev. According to him, "people, especially low-income families could relax and have a picnic in such places". But at the same time, Babakisiyev doubts that people in Azerbaijan are ready for it because many do not clean after themselves. And it is widespread, including on beaches.

"I remember that 'picnic' conditions were created on the territory of the Goygol reserve in Ganca. However, after one or two weeks, these sites were closed to the public because people littered and did not clean up after themselves. Therefore, being in such places, holidaymakers should certainly keep clean," said the architect. If such places for picnics are created, dedicated staff could work there, cleaning the territory, he added.

Cahangir Qocayev also believes that holidaymakers should clean up after themselves and not litter the area. But at the same time, there will be patrols on duty in these areas. They will watch the area and penalize those who ignore the rules of cultural activities in public places.

And what is it like out there?

In developed countries, as you know, picnics are not banned in parks. For example, in the large Central Park in New York people can easily relax on the grass and lawns, bringing baskets of food with themselves. Generally, Americans love picnics: They have special grills even near playgrounds in small towns. And in Central Park in New York it is sufficient to find lawns called Sheep Meadow or Great Lawn to have a great time out. Incidentally, music concerts are sometimes held at Sheep Meadow. So here it is possible to combine "bread and circuses".

So you can keep the lawns without any restrictions. There are special types of grass on which you can sit, lie down and run. And the urban parks of European cities have long been using so-called sports lawns, which differ with their high resistance and ability to withstand many years of use. In many big cities - London, Paris, Madrid and Hanover - residents and tourists can legally sit on the grass wherever they want. It seems that the city authorities would do well if they took the existence of such sports lawns on board. Whatever it is, we can only rejoice at the fact that there will be more places for family recreation on the lawns in Baku.