| Shrnutí: | <p>This is a study of St Petersburg’s rooftops. It explores the experience of being on top of the city and demonstrates that, in Russia’s northern capital, the rooftops have become central to the way the city is perceived, both locally and globally. This thesis explores the relationship between built environment and local identity in St Petersburg. Developing from an interest in the urban exploration practice of roofing, the recreational trespass of the city’s rooftops, and hoping to establish why and how the activity has become so popular in St Petersburg, my analysis explores the different uses of the city’s rooftop (and attic) spaces and relates these to social development, urban planning, civic activism, and the local imaginary in St Petersburg. </p>
<p>I argue that the city’s rooftops have captured the local imagination as they connect St Petersburg’s residents to their past. Despite the widespread changes that have taken place across the city, including developments to the skyline, I demonstrate that the roofs, both in their form and use, provide a thread of continuity. As such, this research is interested not only in the contemporary uses of the rooftops, but the cultural processes that have cemented their position within St Petersburg culture. For this reason, this thesis views the city through both a contemporary and historical lens. Based on a multimethod approach, including historiography and ethnographic fieldwork, conducted in St Petersburg in 2019 and early 2020, this thesis explores a range of uses of the city’s rooftops as creative, domestic, commercial, and leisure space. </p>
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