- What are Living Cities?
- First, what is the Living City? It's simple. Such a city as a complex living system exhibits the qualities of self-organization, adaptation and development in a constantly changing world. In it, the townspeople are open and trust each other, the authorities, business and communities cooperate and are united by common values. A vibrant city has a manifested identity and a unifying vision of the future. The urban environment - its material and intangible components, infrastructure and culture - reduces unproductive energy losses, stimulates communication and inspires citizens to co-creativity.
The Living City has respect for the eco-system and a connection with nature. Good governance leads to prosperity. A living city skillfully activates the potential of citizens and communities and mobilizes the necessary resources for development, building on its strengths. Living cities stimulate creation, conscious evolution of man and society. Conscious citizens are the foundation of the Living City. Living cities are the foundation of national security and the future of Russia.
"Living Cities" is also the call of our heart, the dictates of the times and the national initiative for the development of Russian cities, undertaken by the all-Russian community of experts and practitioners of the same name. The community is growing and already unites leading experts in various areas of urban development, as well as more than 200 representatives of government, business and society from 50 cities of the country - from Vladivostok to Sevastopol.
The idea of cooperation between leaders of urban change to create a holistic view of the future of cities was born in Izhevsk in 2014, at the first Forum of Living Cities. A year later, as a result of the second Forum, the foundation of the future community was formed. And in the fall of 2015, at the Zodchestvo festival in Moscow, a presentation of the Living Cities National Initiative was held to create and implement a new vision for the development of Russian cities in the 21st century. The basic principles of the community's work are inscribed in the Charter of Living Cities presented at the third Forum in St. Petersburg in May 2016.
During this time, the initiative was joined and actively supported by a variety of partners - from the specialized committees of the Federation Council and the State Duma to the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, from OPORA RUSSIA to the Development Fund for Single-Industry Towns and Business Russia, from the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to the Union of Architects of Russia and advisers to the President of the Russian Federation, from the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation to the governors of the leading subjects of the Federation, from the Center for Strategic Research to the Public Television of Russia, "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" and "Russian Reporter", from "Winzavod" to "Flacon", from the Monastyrev Foundation to the Fund for Assistance to Strategic Investments, from the National Center for Social and Humanitarian Projects to the Financial University, from Skolkovo, HSE and Shaninka to ITMO, MFLA, Moscow State University and RANEPA - there are more than 100 worthy partners from all over Russia.
The community is the intellectual partner of city administrations and businesses, an environment for enriching professional communication. Today we are exploring the real situation in cities, shaping the image of the future, developing and in 2017 will implement city revitalization engines in 10 pilot cities, forming the City Life Index, designing a platform for communication and cooperation, learning to follow the principles of Living Development ourselves, creating a register replicated projects, we solve specific problems for business, we advise authorities at all levels - from cities to the federation, we participate in the renovation of existing and design new cities. We have taken on our responsibility to be sources of positive change in cities. The big goal we face is 1,000 Living Cities by 2035.
Which cities are covered and which are planned to be covered? What is your community doing now, what are your immediate plans?
- The central event in 2016 in the life of the community was the III All-Russian Forum of Living Cities, which is consistently held in several cities of the country. The task is to develop breakthrough solutions and launch systematic work on the comprehensive development and revitalization of 1000 Russian cities.
Two stages of the Forum, in May in St. Petersburg and in July in Moscow, brought together over 700 participants from more than 60 cities, 35 of them at the level of heads and heads of departments of municipal administrations. The results of the Forum were: the development of a roadmap for the integrated development of Russian cities until 2035 and the formation of a Living City Model with six main areas - co-management, living space, urban activities, education and culture, urban ecology and development management.
The ideas of Living Cities were presented at key Russian forums - from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to forums in Sochi and Vladivostok, as well as at international forums and practical conferences in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Holland, USA, Cyprus and other countries.
The developments of the third Forum formed the basis of the Report "Living cities - for the development of Russia", the first version of which will be presented at the Zodchestvo festival. We will present the final text of the Report as part of the final stage of the III All-Russian Forum of Living Cities in the Izhevsk-Votkinsk-Sarapul-Chaikovsky agglomeration this winter, which will be held at the Nechkino ski resort under the “tasty” UrbanSkiFest brand. Next year, Emir Kusturica, a special guest of the Forum in St. Petersburg and laureate of the National Nobel Prize for the best project to create a new city, is waiting for us in Kustendorf, where the European Forum of Living Cities is planned to be held. The venue of the Eurasian Forum of Living Cities is also being discussed with Astana and other cities of this mega-region.
Currently, the community is finalizing the "revitalization engines" and consultations with municipalities on the implementation of development technologies in cities. By the way, thanks to the partnership with the creative holding MOD Design, this summer in the center of Moscow a coworking space “Living Cities” was opened, where educational events take place, project work is in full swing, new contacts are established and new projects are launched. We invite all practitioners and experts to join the great and interesting cause!
How will the forum be presented at Zodchestvo?
- The All-Russian Days of Living Cities have traditionally been held at the Zodchestvo festival. The main topic is how to revive and develop cities in real conditions. We will discuss practical experience, present technologies and algorithms that the expert community has developed over the year. We will show you what projects for the integrated development of territories can be implemented in Russian cities right now. We will hold a discussion of experts about the prospects and technologies for creating new cities.
The results of the III Forum of Living Cities (Model of a Living City, Life Index, “engines of revitalization”) and the Manifesto for the Evolution of Cities, created by experts and practitioners from several countries following the results of the International Forum of Spatial Development in St. Petersburg in September 2016, will be presented.
The work will take place in the format of expert discussions, strategic sessions, master classes, case studies and design workshops. For the first time, the topics of urban development for children, prosperity in cities and new approaches to the integral development of city leaders (together with RANEPA) will be discussed. Also, in response to a request from colleagues from the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation, an open session will be held on the development of proposals to the Government of the Russian Federation for the national project "Integrated Development of the Urban Environment", announced by D. A. Medvedev a few days ago.
Representatives of city administrations, business structures, professionals solving problems of the development of the city and territories are invited to participate. It will not be boring!
