UCLG-Eurasia at the Moscow Urban Forum

Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, President of UCLG-Eurasia, took part in the international Moscow Urban Forum, which took place in Moscow Zaryadye Park on July 4-7, 2019.

At the round table on the role of chief architects in shaping the urban environment, Ilsur Metshin announced an open contest for the position of a chief architect of Kazan and invited Russian and foreign specialists to participate in it.

Maksim Egorov, Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing of Russia, Sergey Kuznetsov, Chief Architect of Moscow, Andrey Erenkov, Chief Architect of Voronezh Region, and Tatiana Prokofieva, Chief Architect of Kazan in 2009-2019, also attended the meeting.

Ilsur Metshin noted that the development of the urban environment and public spaces directly depends on the work of a chief architect. The decisions one makes in the course of his work form the basis for shaping the external appearance of a city. “What is a city? It is a circle of 360 degrees, and there is not a single degree that would be unimportant. Everything is important: health, culture, education, public transport. Decisions can be corrected in some areas, but everything that comes out of the architect’s pen determines the development of a city for many following years,” the Mayor of Kazan said. “This is a key figure in the team of any mayor. A city is such a complex mechanism that can be compared with a clock, and an architect in it is a minute hand that shows the future”.

All the participants agreed on the fact that planning for the future is an essential direction in the work of an architect. The Mayor of Kazan reminded that in Singapore the planning horizon of the city’s development reaches 80 years. “We have projects for 3 and 5 years ahead. But our dream is to reach a larger planning horizon,” the Mayor said. “We are now developing a master plan until 2035. This is also one of the important areas of work.”

At the end of the round table, Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, shared his opinion on the topic of the discussion. “When I was asked about what I can advise a new mayor of a Russian city, I answered: hire an assistant who will help shape the future of the city,” the President said. “I hope that there will be such a person who will come to our city and make it even more beautiful, better, comfortable. We need well-educated, principled architects with great powers, not only in the capital, but also in municipalities”.

Source: The Municipality of the City of Kazan

Credits: The Municipality of the City of Kazan, The Press-Agency of the President of Tatarstan

09.07.2019

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