User:Mno/Kiev Today
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Today, Kiev is a modern city with over 2.5 million inhabitants. Like many other large cities of the former Soviet Union, it is an eclectic mix of the old and the new, seen in everything from the buildings to the stores to the people themselves. Experiencing a fast growth rate during the 1970s, 80s and the early- to mid-90s, Kiev has continued its consistent growth after 5 years of resturcturing. As a result, today, even Kiev's "downtown" is a dotted picture of the new, modern buildings (known as novostroika) amongst the pale yellows, blues and grays of the older apartments. During the last growth period, urban sprawl has been gradually reduced while population densities of suburbs started increasing. Today, it is rather popular to own a novostroika in Kharkivskyi Raion, Troyeshchina, Obolon along the Dnieper, around Khreschatyk as well as in other well-established areas (for example, Pechers'k).
With the new millenium came new and exciting changes. Besides Western-style novostroikas, hip nightclubs, classy restaurants and prestigious hotels starting opening in the center. Music from Europe and the States started rising on Ukrainian music charts. And most importantly, with the changes in visa rules in 2005, Ukraine is positioning itself as a prime tourist attraction, with Kiev, L'viv and other large cities looking to profit from the new opportunities. The center of Kiev has been cleaned up and buildings have been restored and redecorated, especially Khreschatyk and Independence Square. Many of the historical places of Kiev, such as Andryivskyi Uzviz, have become popular street vendor locations, where one can buy traditional Ukrainian art, religious items, books, game sets (most commonly chess) as well as jewellery.
With the partial collapse of the Kiev transit services, private investors have seen room for profit. Most visibly, microbuses have become the most popular method of tranposrtation after the metro. Unlike the large, amber-yellow public transit buses that only run on main roads, microbuses provide a much better coverage of the smaller residential streets and have routes that are more convenient for the residents. Although more expensive, they are also faster, cleaner and more available. The Kiev Metro is also expanding to cover the growing demand. It is also quite common for any local with a car to act as a taxi driver now and then, although organized private taxi companies have increased competition dramatically. It is now possible to order a taxi by phone and know the price of the trip before even getting into the car.
