CENTER Agency held the All-Russian Conference on Small Towns and Historic Settlements in Vyksa
On October 7, the All-Russian Conference on Small Towns and Historic Settlements named “Revitalization of Small Towns through the Involvement of the Local Population in Cultural Events” ended in the town of Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The conference was attended by over 300 delegates from 100 cities in 40 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including heads of municipalities, and representatives of business and professional communities. For the first time, more than 40 leading Russian and international experts in the development of public spaces in small towns of Russia and participatory design, as well as architects, designers, economists, urbanists, representatives of ministries and departments of the Russian Federation spoke at a single expert conference.
The conference consisted of two large units: business and culture.
The business program took place on October 5 and 6. During these two days, 11 sessions were organized with representatives of federal and municipal authorities, and Russian and foreign experts. During the sessions, much attention was paid to public urban spaces as the most important resource for programming social change. The key term used during the sessions was “participatory design” and the involvement of residents themselves in the work process. As part of the conference, a “Create your own city” guide on the development of courtyards and public spaces in small towns was presented.
Sergei GeorgievskiiGeneral Director of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER”, head of the conference program management
“The conference was a vivid example of open professional dialog that will allow the unification of efforts from all interested parties, and forming of strong expert institutions necessary for the implementation of plans of all small towns and historic settlements of the country”.
An extensive cultural program was organized on the final day of the conference. Participants visited the Vyksa Metallurgical Plant, art yards and art squares, saw the OMK modern art collection in the library and listened to a story about the creation and development of the plant.
A video recording of all conference sessions is available on the official YouTube channel of the event program management – Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER”.
Official conference website: sredagoroda.ru
