Russia to calculate cities’ IQ-level: Minister of Construction at World Cities Day

EKATERINBURG, Oct 31, 2019, Pan Pacific Agency. This year Russia’s IQ of cities will be calculated for the first time with UN-Habitat great assistance, Russian Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Vladimir Yakushev said at the plenary session of the World Cities Day in Ekaterinburg. Russia is transforming cities at the national project level, and those cities, in which more than one hundred thousand people live, participate in the ‘Smart City’ project, Mr. Yakushev added, according to the Ministry’s press service.

Evgeny Kuyvashev, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, at the plenary session of the World Cities Day. Photo: event’s press service.

Evgeny Kuyvashev, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, also spoke at the plenary session of the event, the press service of the World Cities Day told Pan Pacific Agency. “World Cities Day is a powerful driver of economic development for the region and the city. For the first time, an international event takes place in Russia in the capital of the Urals. Sverdlovsk Region is entering a new qualitative level of development: the pace of economic, industrial and cultural growth is increasing every year. Holding World Cities Day in parallel with 100+ Forum Russia is a serious qualitative leap for the region at the international level. In 2023, Ekaterinburg will host the World Summer Universiade. It’s especially important to prepare for this major event and keep it presentable,” the press-service of the World Cities Day cited Mr. Kuyvashev.

Maimuna Mohd Sharif, the Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme and Acting Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi, at the Word Cities Day in Ekaterinburg. Photo: event’s press service.

“We did a great job”, Maimuna Mohd Sharif, the head of UN-Habitat, noted. “We discussed global problems and ways to solve them, the accordance of our activities to the Sustainable Development Goals, and also exchanged the experience of our countries in an effort to make life in cities more comfortable. We talked about the criteria of the city of the future, about the problems of renewable energy, about quality housing for future generations and, in fact, about the “2030 generation”, which will realize our ideas. It’s an important job for all of us. I thank the participants and invite you to the next celebration of World Cities Day!” she said.

This year World Cities Day is jointly organized by UN-Habitat, the Shanghai People’s Government and the City of Ekaterinburg. UN has selected the theme “Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations” to discuss how urbanization can be used to achieve sustainable development. Pan Pacific Agency was covered the event.