A Satellite Island

The Genplan Institute of Moscow has prepared a master plan for the development of the Sarpinsky and Golodny island system, located within the administrative boundaries of Volgograd and considered among the largest river islands in Russia. By 2045, the plan envisions the implementation of 15 large-scale investment projects, including sports and educational clusters, a congress center with a “Volgonarium”, a film production cluster, and twenty-one theme parks. We explain which engineering, environmental, and transportation challenges must be addressed to turn this vision into reality. The master plan solutions have already been approved and incorporated into the city’s general development plan.

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

09 December 2025

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Golodny (“Hungry”), Sarpinsky, and Sporny (“Disputed”) islands, separated from one another by branches of the Volga, lay claim to being one of the largest river island systems in the country. Sarpinsky and Golodny islands – where the master plan proposes the main development measures – lie within Volgograd’s city limits and together account for about a quarter of its territory.

zooming — Strategic master plan for the Sarpinsky-Golodny island system. Key projects

Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow

There is reason to believe that the first Tsaritsyn fortress – a wooden fort that was controlling part of the Volga trade route back in the day – was located on these very islands. After the fortress was moved to the mainland, the first hamlets emerged; today, thirteen of them remain.

The islands are largely undeveloped and sparsely populated due to their limited accessibility: in summer they can only be reached by ferry or boat, and in winter by crossing the ice. In total, about 800 people live there year-round. During the summer, the population increases with the arrival of seasonal residents and vacationers. Golodny Island is currently used by the city to house wastewater treatment facilities. In the northeastern part of Sarpinsky Island, which covers 8,820 hectares, garden cooperatives and small settlements are spread out. Electricity has been supplied to the area, but there is no gas, centralized water supply, or even a sewer system.

After the construction of the Volga Hydroelectric Power Station and the cascade of reservoirs on the Volga and Kama rivers, water levels dropped significantly; as a result, Golodny and Sarpinsky islands are separated only during the spring flood season.

The islands undoubtedly possess substantial potential – both recreational and economic. Located close to Volgograd’s administrative center, they offer opportunities not only for functions complementary to the city, but also the exceptional qualities of a nature reserve and resort.

The landscapes on the islands are truly diverse: sandy beaches stretching along the Volga, and deeper inland – dozens of large and small lakes fed by springs, wetlands, old oak groves, hayfields, and pastures. The rich birdlife includes both species typical of floodplains, such as herons and ducks, and rarer species – geese, partridges, red-breasted geese, Eurasian cranes, and swans. The wetlands also serve as resting grounds for birds migrating from Western Siberia to Asia Minor and Africa.

Science, Sports, and a “Sea Substitute”

If the measures set out in the master plan are implemented, within the next decade the Sarpinsky-Golodny island system will become a fully-fledged satellite city of Volgograd (similar to Innopolis and the federal territory of Sirius), combining a comfortable urban and estate-style living environment with surrounding natural landscapes. This satellite city will be capable of accommodating up to 72,000 temporary residents, for whom the project provides apartments of various classes. Infrastructure and recreational facilities, along with sports, educational, and IT clusters, will become the functional anchors of the islands. The construction of hotel complexes of different star ratings and the introduction of year-round activities will transform the island system into an all-season family resort – a “sea substitute” – generating a tourist flow of up to 800,000 visitors per year.

The client for the master plan was Sarpinsky Development LLC. The adopted master plan solutions will be integrated into Volgograd’s master plan, which is currently under development.

Above Zero

The first – and perhaps the most complex and non-trivial – task tackled by the specialists at the Genplan Institute of Moscow was identifying areas suitable for permanent construction. Since the islands are partially flooded every spring, far from the entire territory is suitable for development. Given that the project must be economically viable, large-scale landfilling was deemed impractical.

We carried out a meticulous analysis of the islands’ terrain and identified a notional “zero level” – dry areas that are not flooded for most of the year. The lower a site lies in relation to this conditional “zero”, the more fill would be required to raise it above the flood level, and the more expensive construction would become. At the same time, it was crucial to preserve the existing green areas and the island’s water system, made up of numerous lakes, channels, and brooks, so that all the architecture we propose is carefully integrated into the existing ecosystem.

After identifying the driest areas across the island (with a combined area of 946.6 hectares), as well as sites requiring the minimum amount of ground fill (where the height of the fill was not to exceed one meter), we assembled these areas into development zones. Determining the optimal boundaries of these zones required a large number of iterative calculations, measurements, and adjustments, carried out repeatedly until a construction cost that could be considered reasonable was achieved. As a result of this process, we arrived at an economically viable total volume of ground fill for all planned buildings and automobile roads, amounting to 8.25 million cubic meters.

In addition, the project provides for a system of shoreline reinforcement designed to protect both the proposed developments and the existing hamlets from the hazardous impact of the meandering branches of the Volga known as Kuropatka and Shchuchiy Proran. The construction of a breakwater with a contemporary embankment and landscaping will not only create a new public space in the northern part of Sarpinsky Island, but will also solve an important problem by relieving the hydrodynamic load on the shoreline near the Volgostroy hamlet, which is currently undergoing erosion.

By Land, by Water, by Air

The second most important task for the successful development of the territory and for attracting investors is the issue of transport accessibility. To connect the islands with the “mainland”, the Genplan Institute of Moscow proposes the construction of three bridges. The first bridge will link Sarpinsky Island with Volgograd’s Kirovsky District. On the island side, a fully-fledged intermodal transport hub is planned, integrating road traffic, river transport (enabled by the construction of a modern multifunctional river terminal), and even a cable car station. A park-and-ride facility with shared electric vehicles and micro-mobility charging stations will allow visitors to switch to environmentally friendly modes of transport and quickly reach key tourist destinations. The area will also include a market square with event spaces, as well as an alley with retail rows and “World Cuisine” restaurants. Passing through this area, the visitors will be able to access the interior of the island and the large Sarpinsky Park – the main center for recreation and entertainment.

The second bridge is proposed for the southern part of Sarpinsky Island, connecting it to Volgograd’s Krasnoarmeysky District and thereby creating a unified and safe transport link between the island and the city. The third bridge will connect the islands with the Sredneakhtubinsky District.

Roads on the island itself will be equipped with intelligent traffic management and safety systems. Plans also include the development of infrastructure for self-driving and electric transport, as well as the creation of an extensive network of bicycle paths.

Another way to reach different parts of the island will be the cable car, which will connect Volgograd’s central embankment and Tsaritsyn Park with the northernmost cape of Golodny Island, where a festival venue is planned.

Living and Working

The territory of the island system, with its complex topography, is subject to specific land-use constraints. Therefore, in response to the goals of creating a fully-fledged resort and a modern satellite city, the master plan proposes the development of apartment clusters of various typologies on Sarpinsky Island for temporary accommodation – from a “contemporary village” to conventional urban blocks with courtyard spaces and multifunctional ground floors. The average height of these districts is 7-9 stories. Such urban environment is designed to fully meet modern demands for high-quality preschool and secondary education, as well as sports and leisure infrastructure. Urbanized districts are located mainly in the interior of the island and are strung along transport corridors served by public transit. The master plan provides for full connection of new development to all necessary utility infrastructure: water supply, sanitary and stormwater sewer systems, communications, as well as gas, heat, and power supply. New high-quality engineering infrastructure will also be extended to the existing hamlets and garden associations on the island, and unpaved roads there are planned to be upgraded to meet regulatory standards.

The environment is conceived as multifunctional: the island is expected to generate 47,000 jobs. A significant share of them will be provided by the educational cluster – a large-scale complex with a technopark, laboratories, a sports and wellness center, and a student residence for 4,500 people – as well as by an IT cluster designed to attract promising young professionals and highly qualified specialists. One of the first projects to be built on the Volga riverbank will be a congress center with the “Volgonarium” – a key federal-level exhibition and business, concert and festival, and museum venue in Russia’s Southern Federal District, complemented by a five-star congress hotel. The complex is conceived as a unified architectural and urban ensemble with sweeping panoramic views.

200 Leisure Scenarios

As noted above, the infrastructure of the Sarpinsky-Golodny island system is expected to attract nearly 800,000 travelers annually, offering hundreds of leisure and recreation scenarios throughout the year.

First and foremost, the islands are positioned as an all-Russian “sea substitute”. This ambitious goal is supported by 60 km of shoreline and sandy beaches, an extensive system of lakes, and more than 300 sunny days a year. To accommodate such a large number of visitors, the master plan provides for the construction of hotels of various categories, wellness complexes and spa hotels, and, last but not least,a large number of glamping facilities.

Other attractions will also draw visitors, including the country’s largest “World Cuisines” alley, the Volgonarium science and education center within the congress complex, as well as concert halls, museums, and exhibition pavilions. Among the more unexpected features is a film cluster with a large auditorium, filming pavilions, an apartment hotel, and a virtual worlds center.

The sports cluster, designed to host nationwide competitions, will include an ice arena, an indoor athletics arena with a tennis court, and an aquatic sports center. The island’s landscape makes it possible to lay out routes for endurance races, organize drone competitions, and develop phygital sports.

The islands will also be covered by a network of thematic parks of different scales and focuses – from golf courses and hot-air balloon facilities to a historical reenactment park. More than twenty parks will be linked by nine tourist routes with a total length of 230 km.

Ecological Balance

To reduce the impact of planning decisions on the islands’ existing ecosystems, specialists from the Genplan Institute of Moscow propose zoning natural areas according to the type and intensity of recreational use – from areas intended for intensive activity (thematic parks) to protected natural territories with minimal human impact, where only educational eco-tourism aimed at raising environmental awareness will be permitted and encouraged. Certain parts of the islands are proposed to be excluded from recreational use altogether in order to preserve endangered plant, animal, and bird species listed in the Red Data Book, most of which are concentrated in the southern areas of the islands.

The project is expected not only to give the city a strong development impulse, but also to shape a contemporary and multifaceted image of the region – as an innovative center of science and new technologies, as well as an all-Russian “sea substitute”.

09 December 2025

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