"Five Steps for Cities": VEB.RF summed up the results of the urban development program
Almost 300 Russian cities, almost 19 thousand projects, 33 thousand proposals. At the RUSSIA EXPO in the Pavilion of VEB.RF State Corporation "Cities for Life Come True", the closing ceremony of the "Five Steps for Cities" program and awarding of the winning cities took place.
The "Five Steps for Cities" program developed by VEB.RF and Strelka Design Bureau was launched in April 2022. It is a set of project solutions for cities and improving the quality of life in them.
As Igor Shuvalov, Chairman of VEB.RF, noted, realizing the goals of national projects, VEB.RF invests not only in the economy of cities, but also in the urban environment to create a new level of quality of life.
"We have analyzed the demands of city residents and realized that people, first of all, care about the comfort of everyday life. It is important for citizens to feel it not only within the walls of their apartments, but also around them - in their entrances, in the yard, on the street. This is how the idea of a program aimed at rapid positive changes for families was born. As a result, we received 18.5 thousand new projects and unexpected solutions that we are proud of. The agenda of modern urban economy has been recognized at the highest level. In his Address, the President spoke about the launch of a new urban development program. The knowledge, competencies, connections that we have acquired during our program will be in demand as never before," said Igor Shuvalov.
Creating a comfortable urban environment is one of the national priorities supported by the President for the new six-year period, noted Irek Faizullin, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of Russia.
"First of all I would like to thank the President of our country for the support of this program since 2017, now together and with the great support of VEB.RF we continue the implementation of the project "Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment" with the regions and prepare for the program of 2025. At the moment, since March 15, 9 million 42 thousand citizens of our country have already voted for various public spaces. The involvement of residents in the voting is, of course, a huge responsibility for the regions and municipalities in the first place, because they are in the closest proximity to the residents. I would also like to note the fact that new regions are now participating in the federal project to create a comfortable urban environment — in the previous All-Russian contest of the best projects to create a comfortable urban environment, eight projects won in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as in Zaporozhye. Let's keep on going," said Irek Faizullin.
The "City Nearby" direction allows creating a comfortable and functional urban environment. The best project in this nomination was the improvement of public space at 21 Republic Street in Tyumen. The new zone, which combines the city's historical heritage and innovative ideas, has already become a favorite place of recreation for Tyumen residents.
"Save the Planet" is a section of the program aimed at reducing environmental impact and environmental education. The award in this nomination went to a project implemented in Elektrostal to clean the shore of the Western water reservoir and improve the Avangard Park. As a result of the project, the beach area of 60 hectares was transformed, and the area was equipped with sun loungers and changing rooms.
Another step of the program — "Breathe in Life" - is aimed at creative rethinking of urban spaces: painting of urban objects, improvement of abandoned areas, shaping of urban identity, creation of youth district centers. In this nomination the organizers of the contest noted the arrangement of a parklet in Gubkinsky (YNAA).
The solutions from the section "Add Energy" of the program "Five Steps for Cities" allow to create conditions for sports and popularization of a healthy lifestyle among citizens. For example, in Mendeleevsk (Republic of Tatarstan) a platform for extreme sports was created in a park zone based on ready-made solutions, and this project was recognized as the best in the "Add Energy" direction.
The fifth step of the program is called "Gather Your Own", it involves the creation of local events and communities. In this nomination the victory went to the Yaroslavl project "Yaroslavl in Bloom-2023", within the framework of which workshops on the development of urban environment were held, the knowledge gained was used by the citizens to create flower beds and green areas in the yards of residential buildings.
The Grand Prix of the "Five Steps for Cities" program was awarded to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The award was presented to the city by Irek Faizullin, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was recognized as the most active participant of the "Five Steps for Cities" program. Based on the solutions of the program, 245 projects were implemented in the city, including the creation of bicycle garages, painting of stop pavilions.
A special nomination from VEB.RF was awarded to the project of the city of Nizhnevartovsk on renovation of entrances of residential buildings. The award was presented by Igor Shuvalov, Chairman of VEB.RF. The program partner — VK noted the city of Togliatti for its activity in social networks.
293 Russian cities took part in the program. They were divided into five categories, taking into account their population and level of socio-economic development. Projects were implemented by city administrations at the expense of budgetary and non-budgetary sources. Over the two years of the program, 18.5 thousand projects were implemented, which had a favorable impact on the quality of life of citizens and the level of comfort of the urban environment. Residents were active participants of the program: their suggestions and ideas were involved in the implementation of projects to the maximum extent possible. More than 33,000 proposals were received as part of the collection of ideas.
