N. Timchenko on 100+ TechnoBuild: “Metropolises will have to master smart technologies”
Photo: 100+ TechnoBuild
Nikolai Timchenko, CEO of the Agency for Strategic Development CENTER, spoke in Yekaterinburg at the largest Russian construction forum, 100+ TechnoBuild, which brought together a thousand of speakers at once – developers, representatives of authorities, engineers, architects, designers and urban planners. The organizers of the event include the RF Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities, the National Association of Builders and the National Association of Surveyors and Designers.
Nikolay Timchenko took part in a session dedicated to smart cities, speaking on the topic “The concept of a smart city – development technologies”. “According to the UN, by 2050, 68% of the world's population will live in cities. And megapolises will have to master smart technologies in order to cope with this load. At the moment, there are only a few smart cities. Since the design of such a system is a complex process,” said N. Timchenko. According to him, in Russia, smart city programs, which include, for example, intelligent transport systems, a single dispatch service and situation centers, data centers, and widespread use of the internet of things, are being implemented in a number of large cities. They are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Samara, Krasnoyarsk, Voronezh, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, and Yekaterinburg. However, such technologies are applied not in megapolises alone.
For example, in 2021, the Agency CENTER held a competition for development of an architectural and urban planning vision (master plan) for a new city in the Sakhalin Region. At that time, the first place was taken by a consortium under the leadership of IND architects, an architecture studio from Moscow. This project involved active use of smart city principles, such as application of modern energy-saving technologies, unmanned vehicles, as well as construction of a university cluster. In the summer of 2024, implementation of the project began in the Korsakov district of the Sakhalin Region.
"The main objectives of a smart city are to optimize the operation of the transport system at all levels, achieve energy efficiency and save resources, simplify management and maintenance processes, increase security, ensure residents’ participation in urban life and in decision-making together with local authorities, and elevate comfort and living standards," said Nikolay Timchenko.