Loss of uniqueness phenomenon of the architectural environment of a small post-Soviet city (axiological and ontological aspects)

The article outlines the problem of the significance of preserving the uniqueness and individuality of the image of urban space of small post-Soviet cities through the prism of a brief philosophical analysis. In this aspect, the nature of the authentic value of the architectural environment as an integral element of human existence itself, which forms the consciousness of an urban dweller, is touched upon. The significance of this value in the cultural and historical perspective is justified. Analysis of the problematic aspects of modern urban modernization was carried out from the point of view of the axiological assessment of the ongoing transformations. The problems are disclosed through the prism of the loss of authentic value. The author’s understanding of the nature of authentic value in the minds of urban dwellers as a stable system of socio-cultural and individualistic characteristics that allow a person to self-identify as a bearer of a certain culture in time and space. In other words, it is argued that one of the basic elements of the identity of a healthy society is both the uniqueness of the historical and cultural appearance of a particular city as an individual’s habitat, and the connection of this appearance with the cultural and historical past of the previous generation of residents. The significance of this problem in the era of globalization is particularly emphasized. In this regard, the author made an attempt to identify the causes contributing to the loss of authentic value of the architectural environment, and proposed a number of points of culturological program for its preservation in the modern urban culture.