Former Mayor of London will tell in Kazan how to cheapen public transport fare
How to convert modern cities from 'global business centres' to a favourable environment? Are migrants able to disturb the national calm? How did the Mayor of London manage to reduce public transport fare? These numerous problems of the urbanisation defined the agenda of the Executing Committee of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments that will take place on 26 and 27 May for the first time in Kazan. The Administration of Kazan will invite the most highly-paid specialists of the world in urbanism for the public: Ken Livingstone, Vukan R. Vuchic and Josep Acebillo.
'Experts' public speeches cost a fortune'
Over 200 representatives of municipal authorities from around the world, including North and South America and Africa, will come to Kazan for the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments. There are more than 40 mayors and over 60 vice-mayors of European and Asian cities among them. Undoubtedly, the mayors from million-plus cities of Russia – Irkutsk, Izhevsk, Grozny, Perm, Cheboksary will also come, according to the deputy head of the Executing Committee of Kazan Ivan Kuznetsov who enumerated the guests. The coverage of the session of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments could be really impressing if the Mayor of the Russian capital Sergey Sobyanin and Petersburg's Governor Georgy Poltavchenko came. But Moscow is promised to be represented by the head of the Moscow City Duma Shaposhnikov, while the authority of the Northern capital has no time. However, the 'forum of mayors' does not stop being interesting because of it on the grounds that, as Kuznetsov noticed, problems of supercities and small cities are almost the same: 'public transport is to be on time, there must be no problem on the roads, rubbish is to be collected on time, and city must be safe and comfortable for life'.
It is interesting that the Administration of Kazan did not limit to just 'rostrum' reports. Business programme of the forum has been enriched with MadeInKazan special education project, which draws attention because of loud names. According to Ivan Kuznetsov, authoritative experts in urbanism will deliver a speech within the scope of MadeInKazan like the former Mayor of London Len Livingstone, a professor of the University of Pennsylvania and public transport expert Vukan R. Vuchic and a Spanish architect Josep Acebillo. There are 13 world experts in urbanism and tourism in total whose speech is at a fancy price. 'Where does such a luxury come from?' journalists asked Mr Kuznetsov.
'Indeed, experts' public speeches cost a fortune. We would never 'bring' them if we had not a sitting of the Executing Bureau of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments. They are interested in delivering a speech in Kazan because there will be an influential public of city mayors who are their clients. Believe me, the visit of many of them has been paid partially – only transport costs and accommodation.' So, simple marketing approaches of the Administration came to light.
Secret budget
Nevertheless, the reception of 200 high-ranking guests is unlikely to have an impact on the budget of Kazan. However, Mr Kuznetsov did not tell the price of the 'forum of mayors' saying that six days left before the start, and the costs estimate might change. Indubitably, it could not help but cause a smile of the journalists.
But the deputy head of the Executing Committee specified that the head of Bank of Kazan Oskar Prokopyev became the mastermind of MadeInKazan. So, the chances are the bank is going to be one of the sponsors.
Mr Kuznetsov pointed out four problems among the most topical problems for Russian and overseas cities. First of all, it is a question of a tolerant life of people of different nationalities in big cities in the conditions of growing migration flows. Secondly, 'perennial' questions of transport urbanism: how to reduce the intensity of the overloaded centre and get rid of traffic jams in vehicular movement. Thirdly, the openness of the city management. We proceed from the fact that IT technologies will be able to provide a maximum transparency of the power, maximum participation of the society in the city management. The Mayor of Kazan instructed to study as many opportunities as possible to implement information resources in different spheres of life. Fourthly, problems of tourist rebranding of territories: 'Anti-brands also will be demonstrated– the examples of how to avoid making these or that mistakes while attracting tourists,' Kuznetsov noted.