Ilsur Metshin at the World Cities Summit: “Today we are designing the future of Kazan for upcoming years”

Moscow and Kazan represent Russia at the international forum in Singapore

Today, the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, spoke at the World Cities Summit in Singapore. The large international forum brought together about 130 participants from 80 cities– heads of governments, statesmen, members of public organizations, scientists and entrepreneurs.

The World Cities Summit, which is held every two years, is one of the largest event in discussing urban issues and the development of municipalities. This year, Russia was represented by only two cities – Moscow and Kazan, as the winners of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. The summit brought together about 130 participants from more than 80 cities.

Ilsur Metshin spoke at the section “The revival of our cities: the study of strategies for cities rejuvenation and their success.” Other speakers were represented by the leadership of the capital of South Korea, Seoul, Park Jin-yong and Yokohama Kubota Atsushi, Japan's second largest city.

Ilsur Metshin noted that over the past 15 years, the capital of Tatarstan has made a giant leap in infrastructure development. Singapore was an example of this, among other things – the Mayor studied at the Lee Kuan Yew College of Public Service in 2009.

Later, the Mayor's Office team came to Singapore to learn the experience of local authorities. After that, it was decided in Kazan to train local entrepreneurs. Thus, the “Expanding Horizons” forum was established, which brought together international top managers, well-known economists and politicians. “In this collaboration, we were creating a new future for Kazan,” the Mayor said. The project proved to be in demand – five people applied for one place in the training course.

The capital of Tatarstan managed to achieve high results thanks to the consistent implementation of programs for the development of a comfortable urban environment. Over the past 15 years, people in Kazan have been actively relocating from dilapidated housing, overhauling houses and yards, and creating neighborhoods. Systemic development has allowed Kazan to become a host for international events. This year, for the first time in history, a phygital tournament Games of the Future was held in Kazan, the broadcast of which gathered about 25 billion views. And in less than 10 days, the BRICS Games will start in the capital of the republic, which will be attended by representatives of 60 countries.

Now the priorities of Kazan are to become a smart and environmentally friendly city with high standards of quality of life, which will be attractive to investors.

This year's World Cities Summit is dedicated to two themes – climate change and the aging of the world's population. During the summit, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is held – a prestigious international award is presented to heads of municipalities for success in management and innovation.