The St. Petersburg Observers Association, which emerged as a public organization to monitor the conduct of presidential elections, initiated another project called Beautiful Petersburg. This project does not have a formal organizational structure - any person can participate, who himself will determine the task that requires attention in his opinion.
The attention of the project participants primarily falls on various problems of city improvement at the lowest level - in residential yards, parks, streets, etc. This can be, for example, a pile of garbage that needs to be cleaned, unauthorized parking areas on the sidewalks or a crippled playground. The problem is solved in the simplest way - the project participants write an appeal to the territorial branch of the city government structure, which can solve it. They also control the result of work. According to the curator of the project from St. Petersburg Observers, a total of 135 such appeals were made, to which officials, in accordance with the law, are obliged to respond within 30 days. 40% of the problems raised by the participants of "Beautiful Petersburg" have already been resolved, and another 20% should be eliminated before the end of 2012.
The direct goal of this project is to improve St. Petersburg and improve the lives of citizens, but this is not the only task. The involvement of ordinary citizens in solving the problems of the city, not at an abstract level, but where they can see the effectiveness of their actions, should contribute to the formation of civil society. And public control over the work of officials and housing and communal services workers in solving specific problems can increase their efficiency.
Until now, the activities of "Beautiful Petersburg" took place in five districts of the northern capital, but the organizers hope to attract residents throughout the city. In the summer, the first action was held entitled “Walking with a camera” - everyone went "free swimming" through the city streets, photographing on the way all the "lead abominations" that required the intervention of city services. Photos were sent to the site on the Internet and became the basis for a new appeal to a particular city structure.
