Russia’s Spatial Framework: Is There a Place for Mega-Agglomerations Here?
Russia’s pivot to the east requires the new spatial organization of the country. At present, over 20% of economic activity is concentrated in the Moscow agglomeration. But developing the economy under new conditions will require the presence of territorial entities that are comparable in scale in the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East. Mega urban agglomerations that link several large cities, as well as medium and small ones, into a single whole are being created all over the world. They ensure that people can travel to city centres within 1–1.5 hours. This has become a possibility due to the development of new modes of transport. Such territories have high concentrations of technology production as well as symbolic and human capital. China has placed its chips on the country’s polycentric spatial organization based on mega urban agglomerations. At present, Russia has more than 38,000 km of high-speed railways that link large cities in a mega urban agglomeration. These territories are where the main innovative and technological development takes place where human capital is concentrated. Numerous countries are following this path. Who will be the driving social class in the development of urban agglomerations in the current conditions? How do we make sure that the creative class is not lost amidst sanctions? What territories could become benchmarks in Russia taking into account the pivot to the east? What key potential do these territories have? Can foreign experience be used in the formation of mega urban agglomerations and implementing a polycentric policy of spatial development in Russia?
Moderator
Andrey Sharonov,
Chief Executive Officer, National ESG-Alliance
Panellists
Vladimir Efimov,
Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Government of Moscow for Economic Policy and Property and Land Relations
Alexey Kudrin,
Chairman, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
Evgeny Kuyvashev,
Governor of Sverdlovsk Region
Maksim Reshetnikov,
Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Chen Jining,
Mayor of Beijing (online)
Svetlana Chupsheva,
General Director, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects