Most big cities in Russia are going through the epoch of instability. While their “fabric” is rapidly transforming, the changes in the “framework” lag behind. If the changes in the “framework” and the “fabric” happen simultaneously, the city loses its historical memory. It is supposed that a genetic town-planning chain was firmer until the 21st century, while the city remained “stone”. The cities that maintain the buildings from the past centuries in the historical part and develop in vacant areas have a greater cultural potential.