Petrova Larisa E.

Introduction. Mediation is examined as a mechanism for reconciling the interests of property owners, authorities, and residents in the heritage zones of Russian metropolitan cities, using Ekaterinburg as a case study. The relevance of the research stems from the growing number of conflicts between urban development and the preservation of cultural heritage under conditions of limited resources and institutional fragmentation of governance. The scientific contribution lies in conceptualizing mediation not only as a procedure for dispute resolution with the participation of a neutral third party, but also as a specific mode of public communication embedded in municipal governance and assessed through early stakeholder involvement, the stability of agreements, and the reduction of conflict intensity in heritage zones.

Materials and methods. The study is based on the sociology of governance and combines institutional and actor–network approaches to the analysis of heritage zones as specific governance regimes. Actor–network analysis makes it possible to reconstruct stakeholder configurations (including public authorities, owners, developers, professional communities, NKO, and residents) and lines of conflict between the two logics of «economization» and «preservation». The empirical basis consists of the conflict cases around sites of historical and cultural heritage in Ekaterinburg, systematized in a table that records the type of event, the dynamics of the dispute, and its outcomes. Mediation is operationalized through such indicators as the timing of the introduction of mediation, the transparency of procedures, the existence of stable dialogue platforms, the participation of independent experts, and the reached agreements measurable durability. The notion of a «heritage zone» is treated as a municipality-governed space in which decisions simultaneously affect the symbolic capital of the territory, economic interests, and the everyday practices of urban residents.

Results and conclusions. Mediation is interpreted, first, as an alternative mechanism for settling disputes involving an independent intermediary that ensures a structured dialogue among the parties and the development of mutually acceptable solutions, and, second, in a broader sense, as a regime of urban communication that «interprets» the bureaucratic language of governance into formats understandable to local communities. The analysis of the Еkaterinburg cases reveals the predominance of late, reactive interventions and demolition-oriented scenarios, with only a few successful examples in which public mediation led to the abandonment of contentious projects. The key reasons for ineffective mediation include a shortage of qualified mediators, status and resource asymmetries between the parties, formalized and belated public consultations, and asymmetric access to information. The study demonstrates the negative economic consequences of unresolved conflicts, such as rising transaction costs, declining investment attractiveness, and the loss of cultural capital, which jointly deteriorate the quality of the urban environment. The authors conclude that mediation-based governance needs to be embedded at early stages of the planning and operation cycle of heritage zones.

Discussion. The discussion section correlates three ideal-typical models of interaction in heritage zones administration-centred, partnership-based, and community-centred with differing roles assigned to mediation. In the first model, mediation is reduced to a tool for «firefighting» conflicts; in the second, it becomes an integral element of interest alignment between public authorities, business, and professional communities; in the third, it may rely on bottom-up initiatives with the municipality acting as an intermediary. Evidence from the Еkaterinburg cases shows that stable mediation institutions lack leads to recurring losses of heritage assets and mistrust reproduction. The recommendations include institutionalizing mediation in municipal regulations, developing the competencies of managers and mediators, supporting NKO and local communities, and creating permanent multi-stakeholder platforms and digital participation tools that can effectively influence urban planning decisions.

Anthropological optics suggests that the perception of urban space is determined primarily by culture. Yekaterinburg is a vibrant non-central political entity where the urban community has a semantic weight. Urban patriotism, characteristic of a modern resident of a megalopolis, is a transition from the language of rational reasoning (rights and obligations towards the territory) to the language of emotions, attachments, which is essentially irrational. The language of love for one's country and city is a new but global phenomenon. You can show your citizenship - to the country, to the city, and to the area - at the nearest intersection, as it was recently in Israel. And the example of the city of Providence in the USA shows that changing the infrastructure, building a bridge, literally and figuratively provides mobility and a higher level of human capital. The division into the center and the periphery that still exists is a significant factor in loyalty and the formation of positive attitudes. This scientific fact can be translated into a register of practice, basing the policy of urban loyalty management on this.

Avoiding the rhetoric of patriotism and the third mission, universities work with local businesses and influence the territory. As an economic agent, the university creates jobs and socializes vulnerable groups of students. By the very fact of decentralization, intervention in residential or industrial spaces, and on the outskirts of cities, educational institutions are changing the human capital of local residents and implementing regional policies. The smart environment, an attribute of universities, can become a source of change in urban partnerships. But the attitude towards openness, practical results of activities, and ambitions to become a center for socio-cultural development is resisted by those who adhere to the classical version of the university. There is a risk of excessive formalization if the third (or fourth, fifth) mission of the university - influencing society, working with the surrounding area - is formally designated, and this will entail a number of bureaucratic procedures. In the meantime, not only the university clinic, but also the ecological farm, vineyard and craft wine are conceptualized as possible forms of university local business.

The concept of patriotism is relevant both for urban socio-cultural design practice and for scientific research. The purpose of the given research is to describe the aspects, key for social sciences and humanities, of the interdisciplinary analysis of the 'urban patriotism' phenomenon in the framework of economics, sociology, cultural studies and political science.
The authors used theoretical methods (synthesis and analysis, comparative, historicism, etc.) and analyzed empirical data (public opinion polls, 'Urban Environment Quality Index' data, etc.).
Urban patriotism is considered as a kind of local patriotism, where the object of positive emotions (pride) and behavior (care, civic participation, solidarity, etc.) is the territory, the city in this case. The sociological optics of exploring urban patriotism implies emphasizing social differentiation of city dwellers in relation to their place of residence or to the place of the perspective moving. Urban patriotism as a feeling of affection, pride in one's city, a desire to serve it, is an important factor of increasing the human capital of a territory, the foundations of its competitiveness.
Through the example of Ekaterinburg, the institutional picture of the urban patriotism formation and strengthening is described, beginning with the 'I am a citizen of Ekaterinburg' strategic project, aiming at active civic position and sense of patriotism development among the city residents. From the historical and political positions, the city and patriotism have been linked in European culture since the emergence of this type of settlement. It was the city that originally was the point around which the concept of 'state' was formed.
The economic aspect of considering urban patriotism is the emphasis on the benefits and costs that residents' and visitors' loyalty can bring, characterizing the effects of love for the city. Patriotically minded people make decisions to purchase goods and services that are more beneficial for a given territory. It is important that management practices aimed at supporting local producers are not speculative but well positioned. However, there are also examples of 'successful speculation' on patriotic feelings (Mayor M. Bloomberg's New York administration actions to develop West Side of Manhattan). The culturological aspect of researching the phenomenon of urban patriotism implies analyzing the formation and perception of cultural products as related to the land itself, vassal (as in feudalism epoch) and, in contrast, horizontal connections, values.
The interdisciplinary approach to exploring urban patriotism is justified, of with significant aspects of the description by economists, culturologists, political scientists and sociologists highlighted in its framework.