I. Metshin about the importance of qualitative urban public spaces

The main recipes for large-scale transformations of urban public spaces are big ambitions and mega-events, a partnership with business and involvement of residents.

The qualitative change in the urban environment creates a serious potential for the building up of human capital. It is the environment, the city that starts beyond the threshold of the apartment, what determines the quality of life of its residents, the tourist appeal, and competitiveness for the best human capital in the context of the whole country. Global trends are still there, and we see how many young professionals, having assessed the comfort and quality of the environment in Kazan, move from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the capital of Tatarstan.

We understand that Kazan is only at the beginning of the way. I can relate to the idea of Enrique Penalosa that the city is good not when it is rich but when its residents feel happy. Public spaces are the way not only to a society of more equal but also happier people. We set ourselves the task of designing the future, where the main luxury is the new sociality, where people from different layers feel comfortable and freely intersect.