In the Russian republic of Tatarstan, located at the intersection between Europe and Asia, a recent Public Spaces Development Programme has created over 350 parks in five years. The programme, which is one of six recipients of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, is led by 28-year old Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova, whose experience as an advisor in Moscow’s Gorky Park rehabilitation caught the attention of the President of Tatarstan in 2015. Almost five years later, the programme has set a new standard for design processes in the country with its endeavor to involve not only local architects but also the local community.