Ilsur Metshin: «Discussing agglomeration management is a great advantage for the Russian mayors»

Today, Mayor Ilsur Metshin took part in the International Forum «Rebus-2024» at the Kazan Expo. He attended the plenary session «Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Agglomerations in the 21st Century», where demographic processes, territorial development, legal regulations, and administrative management issues were discussed. During the discussion, the head of the city emphasized the importance of transferring the management of urban agglomerations to city mayors with significant resources and experience.

The plenary session was attended by the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of Russia Nikita Stasishin, Governor of the Kirov Region Alexander Sokolov, Chairman of the People's Political Consultative Council of Xi'an (China), Wang Jide, and others.

«For the Russian mayors, discussing agglomeration management and creating a legal framework is a great advantage. I would like to thank my colleagues from the government for not only discussing, but also taking action», – said Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan. According to him, the capital of Tatarstan is rapidly developing and growing in all areas. The number of vehicles in the city alone has almost quadrupled over the past 20 years, reaching 500,000.

To predict the future development of the city and find tactical and strategic solutions for urban planning, the Kazan Development Institute has been established, which collaborates with the Tatinvestgrazhdanproekt State Unitary Enterprise and the Tatarstan Institute of Spatial Planning. These institutions have a great experience and a large number of qualified professionals.

«Every day about150–170 thousand people come to Kazan to work. This issue also needs to be dealt with daily, so the Kazan Development Institute is very necessary and important. However, a permanent agglomeration body, represented by the municipality or the center for making all decisions, should think about this situation on a daily basis», – the Mayor concluded.

The Tatarstan Institute of Spatial Planning has developed a master plan for the Kazan agglomeration, which ensures the balanced development of Kazan, as well as the surrounding municipal districts, infrastructure and environmental issues.

The International Forum «Rebus–2024: Agglomerations–Experience, Opportunities, Challenges» will take place in Kazan on 14–15 November. Representatives from 23 countries and 60 regions of Russia will attend the event. About 80 experts are expected to speak at 16 sessions during the forum. In total, more than 2,000 people will participate in the forum, as well as 5,000 people will join the event online.