KEY CONCLUSIONS
Cities must develop according to the wish of the residents
"Standards, a master plan, an urban strategy, but most importantly the people. Ask the people. We sometimes overthink and impose some concepts that are not close to them. People want to enjoy living, go out with their family, go somewhere with the kids, get modern services," Vitaly Mutko, Chief Executive Officer, DOM.RF.
"First of all, ask the people what they want," Vladimir Yakushev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District.
"If in 2004, 2014, in 2018 it was necessary above all to ask people how they want it, today, I think it is necessary not only to ask, but also to explain things to them. Taking into account our experience, standards, and global best practices, we have to explain to the people that maybe this is better than what they want. Including things related to the implementation of the law on comprehensive development of the territories," Nikita Stasishin, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation.
Time and crises inevitably change the habits of both cities and people
"The borders are getting blurred today. Travel, vacation, and leisure can mean completely different things. Today a vacation is not necessarily a two-week trip to the beach. It can be a short, atmospheric trip to a neighboring city, it can be a weekend spent in your own city," Zarina Doguzova, Head, Russian Federal Agency for Tourism.
"When the crisis hit, developers were forced to change their previous approaches and offerings in the market. Places aimed at the middle class began to appear," Khalifa Al Daboos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Investment Corporation of Dubai.
"Changing the habits inside people's heads is easy. And it has already happened: people got used to choosing", Andrey Sebrant, Director of Marketing Services, Yandex.
PROBLEMS
The need to consider multiple aspects during planning
"The time has come to reconsider the spatial development of the country. This is a very difficult, complex issue. Russia is a multinational country, and for many years, ever since the Soviet Union, our territorial development has been based on nationality. This is why it is a painful topic," Vladimir Yakushev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District.
"Life where people have to work from home has changed to requirements for housing entirely. The parameters that were important to us before have lost their relevance," Anton Glushkov, President, Аssociation “National association of builders” (NOSTROY).
Uneven opportunities to invest in the urban environment
"If we take price-adjusted per capita investment, only ten regional centers will have it higher than the national average. Investments are in trouble," Natalya Zubarevich, Professor of the Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
"Today, every region must be given an opportunity to develop its potential. Select the competitive advantages of each region, encourage them and give them opportunities," Vitaly Mutko, Chief Executive Officer, DOM.RF.
"The private sector can contribute to offering the residents what they want. Apart from the government efforts, private companies need to be involved as well. However, if you give everything away to the private sector alone, that would also be wrong, since the private sector is geared up to make money. The regulator should have its say here, to ensure the other side of this balance," Khalifa Al Daboos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Investment Corporation of Dubai.
SOLUTIONS
Comprehensive development based on international experience
"There is a lot of discussion about what to develop: agglomerations, small towns, rural settlements? Colleagues, we must develop everything. And people will choose where to live," Vladimir Yakushev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District.
"We now teach a hundred people a year for free, take them all over the world, show them urban approaches and best practices. These guys come back and become architects of our cities," Vitaly Mutko, Chief Executive Officer, DOM.RF.
Decentralization of urban spaces
"Because of COVID-19, corporations are rethinking the concept of large buildings. The density of urban development that existed in the past is not coming back. Corporations are not fortressing themselves against people, but on the contrary, everything is opening up and boundaries are being erased. The policy of decentralization of megacities is supported," Fadi Jabri, Executive Officer, Principal, Global Business Group (MENA/CIS/India/Europe/Australia), Nikken Sekkei Ltd.
"Those parameters that were important to us earlier have lost their relevance. Now individual housing construction is gaining momentum," Anton Glushkov, President, Аssociation “National association of builders” (NOSTROY).
