Thanks in advance.

Only thing left to say is that if this situation lasted for a few weeks it would be a nightmare. However, this has been the situation in my neighborhood for the past two years Most drivers will tell you that it’s at times impossible to drive up here, and the roads even have gaping holes or crevices in them which at night are really dangerous.

A few weeks ago I was in the car when a friend was driving and the one of the front wheels went down one of them. I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s too much to demand that such road safety hazards are marked and actually cordoned off.

Others point to signs that some of the new construction on Northern Avenue is crumbling already, and road repairs never seem to last more than a few months before they need repairing again. Of course, corruption and siphoning off part of the budget through using less or low quality materials is another issue.

Anyway, as for the workers, there were none about because it was Sunday. I’ll check later today although either way we’ve got a long wait before something that the Georgians can do quicker and better organized in Tbilisi actually gets done.

Things seem organized there in comparison to Yerevan and that’s saying something in the South Caucasus although it’s still all somewhat relative when compared to the outside world.

Anyway, the general consensus in the Armenian blogosphere so far is that such sights are not what we’ve been used to, but in the past few years the city has become a dust bowl full of terrible new architectural designs and incompetent and substandard workmanship.

Add to that the lack of green spaces and environmental protection and I’d say it sounds far worse than it ever was although the general reason why things are so shoddy and substandard might be the same as in the Soviet era. I don’t know, but it needs to change.

I don’t see a single worker or a piece of machinery - where are they?

Given the destruction of Yerevan’s parks and associated concerns with the current land grab in various parts of Yerevan as well as really shoddy construction works, it all becomes more and more of a concern with each passing day. Unfortunately, Observer, when they run out of space in Yerevan I’m sure they’ll then turn their attention to Gyumri and other locations whenever money can be made from doing so.

Meanwhile, metal detectors are now apparently common in some Yerevan nightspots because of concerns about guns and knives while some of the cafes owned by officials in what used to be parks now have their own armed security details. From recent nights out and one or two incidents I witnessed, I’d say it’s now becoming less safe to walk around in Yerevan. Certainly, I’ve seen or heard about a few incidents on the streets, and had quite a few shootings and murders on my doorstop in the entertainment complex that used to be a lovely park.

Now, it’s just a joke. Well, not a joke really because it’s not funny. What’s happening to Yerevan is a disgrace and I’d say that any hope of a real urban development plan for the city went out the window long ago. It’s anarchy and usually illegal (until they then pass laws to actually legitimize the insanity that is, or just issue a political order to a judge or municipality worker to turn a blind eye).

And generally - I’m starting to think about moving back to Gyumri or going somewhere else (Tbilisi would be most preferable I guess) - Yerevan is no more suitable to live in and raise one’s children!