from The Independent -
The collapse of Moscow: Architectural heritage being destroyed
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"But the rapid development of Moscow has not been unequivocally positive; it has come with haphazard building practices, low-quality constructions and the neglect or destruction of historical buildings. [...] The crisis is not limited to the capital. Historians and activists say that Moscow's poor example has been aped across Russia. Of most concern is St Petersburg, the Tsarist capital whose elegant centre was spared the usual Soviet replanning and is free of monolithic concrete structures. Now that is changing."

A clear case of how apathetic heritage preservation practices are not only "contagious" but can be disturbingly prevalent.
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