Yuri Shalabaev: We are beginning to shape the development strategy of Nizhny Novgorod to 2036.

      The head of the city noted that it is impossible to form a strategy without the foundation on which it should be based

      The mayor of Nizhny Novgorod, Yury Shalabaev, announced the start of drafting the Nizhny Novgorod Development Strategy through 2036. This was reported today at the first meeting of experts from various fields, which took place at the Mayak academy. Participants worked in expert groups on the following areas: “Housing and Urban Environment,” “Education and Youth Policy,” “Sports and Health Preservation,” “Social Policy,” “Entrepreneurship, Investment and Digital Technologies,” and “Culture and Tourism.”

      The head of the city noted that it is impossible to form a strategy without the foundation on which it should be based. “Our foundation has been significantly strengthened in recent years. Thanks to the involvement of the government, thanks to the decisions made by Governor Gleb Nikitin, and thanks to our joint work, significant infrastructural changes have taken place in Nizhny Novgorod, changes in the social sphere, and changes in the way Nizhny Novgorod residents view their city. And it is precisely these changes that push us toward the next step: to the task of designing a new city that will be competitive in the economy of the future, a city where our children will want to live, and where we ourselves will want to live, create and work. I believe that in our work we must move from solving local problems to forming an integrated image of the city of Nizhny Novgorod for a fairly long-term perspective,” Yury Shalabaev said, noting that the world is changing very rapidly, and the experts gathered face the complex task of forming a strategy that takes this factor into account as well.

      “I would like, as a result of the session, not to receive an amorphous document, but concrete action programs through 2036. We are making the strategy for the sake of the residents. It must provide for the sustainable development of innovative projects. We must implement modern solutions in order to be competitive in the modern world. But we must not lose our identity: all decisions in the field of urban planning must pass through a filter for compliance with our historical and cultural code. We must understand that the decisions we make develop the city. And another principle in forming the strategy is openness. Every decision must be discussed with the expert community as well as with residents,” Yury Shalabaev explained, adding that the city’s Development Strategy should be aligned with the region’s Development Strategy and correspond to the resource support the city receives from higher-level budgets.

      “Today we are discussing the prospects for the development of our city for the next 10 years. Of course, each expert has their own vision and priorities, but in any case final decisions will be made taking into account the opinions of Nizhny Novgorod residents. After all, everything happening now in Nizhny Novgorod — and over the past five years the city has changed for the better: schools and kindergartens have been built, kilometers of roads repaired, many public spaces improved — is done together with residents and with their active participation. The most in-demand social projects, such as ‘You Decide!’ and ‘Social District Police Officer,’ are aimed at collecting proposals from citizens. The task of the experts is to weigh people’s initiatives and propose a set of solutions so that the city develops in a balanced and harmonious way. That is why strategic sessions like today’s are needed,” said Evgeny Chintsov, chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma.

      As Alevtina Yeremina, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investment of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, said, at the end of last year the Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation was adopted. “This is an important document that generally defines the system for the development of the country’s territory, and, of course, this strategic session fits into the context of the spatial development strategy, since at the federal level it is provided that urban agglomerations are the main points of growth for Russia. The Nizhny Novgorod agglomeration is one of the largest in our country. Therefore, today’s ideas and proposals will undoubtedly influence the development of the entire region as a whole. Regarding economic development, the focus in the future should be on high-output business. And, in fact, such steps are already being taken. An IT cluster is being created — because the future belongs to technologies. The area related to nuclear technologies is developing very strongly. If 6–7 years ago the share of this sector was about 10% of the gross regional product, it is now approaching 20%. New productions are being created from scratch. In addition, since Nizhny Novgorod is a tourist center, emphasis must be placed on developing a high-quality and competitive market of goods and services,” Alevtina Yeremina emphasized.

      As Sergei Sudyin, Doctor of Sociology, professor and head of the Department of General Sociology and Social Work at N. I. Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University, said, the Strategy’s development should pay attention to demographic policy, including support for young families, although the city and the region are already doing a lot in this area.

      “Before talking about prospects, we need to look at what we already have. In 2024, about 30 types of municipal payments were provided for in Nizhny Novgorod, which were used by 50,000 people. One and a half billion rubles were allocated for this. A ‘single window’ was created to assist families of SVO participants. Furthermore, there are systems of grant support for civic initiatives: the ‘Young Nizhny,’ ‘Open Nizhny,’ and ‘Sveti’ contests. The city still has 11 types of payments that were increased last year. All this together indicates that we have a very mature social policy that is developing very dynamically. And the most important thing is that it is adequate to the challenges currently being posed,” Sergei Sudyin stressed.

      According to Dmitry Shchegolev, rector of the Nizhny Novgorod University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Nizhny Novgorod has been developing actively in recent years, and this is seen not only by visitors to our city, especially those who have not been here for several years, but also by the residents themselves. “A great deal has been done, and the support for this is provided by various regional and federal programs. Under the ‘Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment’ program, more than two hundred public spaces have been transformed, and all residents in all districts can see this. However, much remains to be done. We will work along two directions. The first is the further formation of a comfortable environment and public spaces. The second is ensuring our townspeople have comfortable and well-equipped housing. Here the key project in which the city is working and is one of the leaders in the Russian Federation is the work within the framework of comprehensive territory development. And it is very important that in the CRT mechanism and, by the way, in the design of elements of public space amenities, the opinions of residents are taken into account. This is very important for balanced socio-economic and spatial development of the city,” Dmitry Shchegolev said.

      As Sergei Gorin, chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Public Chamber, noted, the current trend in the cultural sector is good and active. “We can see this in the condition of our libraries. Absolutely fantastic conditions are being created for readers in model libraries. The Dobrolyubov Museum was reopened after restoration. Very delicate work is now underway to restore the Gorky Museum on Minin Street. Much is being done in the formation of the urban environment: monuments to Gorky and participants of the First World War have been installed. I consider the priority work of the cultural sector in the near future to be work on consciousness. We must educate a well-rounded person, and this is enormous work that involves libraries, museums, and theaters,” Sergei Gorin said.

      According to Natalia Sadova, director of Olympic Reserve Sports School No. 1, chair of the Athletics Federation of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Olympic champion, school sports, amateur and professional sports are currently developing very actively in Nizhny Novgorod.

      “For the development of sports in schools, with the support of Mayor Yury Shalabaev, a School Sports Leagues Center has been created, which includes eight sports, including athletics, volleyball, basketball, football and others. In addition, work is underway to create a program for the reconstruction of the infrastructure of sports schools and stadiums, which will allow both lessons and interschool competitions to be held. Amateur sports are also developing. More than 1,000 events are held in the city each year, ranging from large-scale runs, marathons and half-marathons to activities within the ‘Sport in Every Yard’ project. In addition, elite sports are currently well financed here; funds are allocated for the trips of the best athletes and for training camps in other regions for competitions,” Natalia Sadova noted.

      As school No. 131 principal Irina Boryakova said, the first building of her school in “Tsvety” was opened in 2020, which, in her opinion, kicked off the “marathon” of opening new schools in the city. Irina Boryakova noted that Mayor Yury Shalabaev demonstrates a comprehensive approach not only to the construction of educational institutions but also to the modernization of existing ones.

      “This year the program for the modernization of school canteens and dining rooms was completed. But educational institutions are not just walls. Programs to support young teachers are in place: grant support, increased payments to young teachers, and support for school development programs. I am confident that we will design such a good city of the future in which people will want to live, study, relax and develop culturally,” Irina Boryakova said.

      As a result of the strategic session, each direction presented to Nizhny Novgorod Mayor Yury Shalabaev the projects developed today, which will form the basis of the strategic document through 2036. A series of specialized meetings will continue.