Rowan Moore spent some time investigating the destruction and sets the scene:
"The centre of Samara is a varied but harmonious ensemble made up of thousands of decorated wooden houses, of a unique and graceful variant of art nouveau and of brave and hopeful buildings from the early revolutionary years. The setting is magnificent, above a broad sweep in the Volga, one of the great rivers of the world. Much of it has gone already, burnt, bulldozed, blighted or left to rot. Pustular new towers erupt from the waterfront and skyline."
Moore says that the removal of Moscow's mayor Luzhkov may improve the situation in the country, but with few voices speaking out in favor of preservation and a lack of clear ownership of many city blocks the situation in Samara is unlikely to improve in time.
