The Impact of Change: Sergey Georgievsky Presents Post-Project Research Experience at the “Development of Small Towns and Historic Settlements” Forum
The Co-Founder of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER” shared the company’s experience in conducting post-project research at the 11th All-Russian Forum “Development of Small Towns and Historic Settlements.” Sergey Georgievsky spoke at the session “A Universal Methodology for Post-Project Research.” Thousands of public space projects have been implemented across Russia in recent years, yet the professional community continues to discuss what a systematic tool for assessing their long-term impact on the economy and people’s lives should look like.
Sergey GeorgievskiiCo-Founder and Chairman of the Expert Council of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER”, Member of the Coordination Council for the Development of Creative Industries under the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
A universal methodology should include, first, a qualitative assessment of budgetary effects and, second, mechanisms for measuring a project’s impact on the social sphere, infrastructure, and the environment. It is also important to understand its reputational impact, as it is essential to earn the trust not only of the users of a particular facility, but also of investors and beneficiaries. When an assessment is conducted by local authorities, interdepartmental cooperation is essential. Moscow’s experience can serve as an example: urban environment projects are analyzed using indicators from several departments at once, including those responsible for trade and services, environmental management, healthcare, capital repairs, and housing and utilities
At the same time, Sergey Georgievsky explained that the dominant global trend today is not universalization, but regionalization:
“I doubt that a universal methodology applicable to all regions is possible. We currently work extensively with city rankings and see that major Russian cities rank highly in some of them, while in other, international rankings, the situation is quite the opposite. It turns out that residents’ expectations differ from country to country, as do the origins of cities and the trajectories of their development. In some places, individualization is valued more highly; in others, collectivization. Some places have an abundance of infrastructure, while others face shortages. The overall global trend today is to identify individual parameters arising from ethnic, cultural, and religious characteristics. We can live in the same house, but the rooms within it can be different.”
Different research clients — whether the Russian Ministry of Construction, regional authorities, local governments, or businesses — also apply different assessment criteria, Sergey Georgievsky noted. Nevertheless, any post-project research should include three key components: on-site surveys, sociological surveys, and expert audits.
The discussion also featured:
- Dzhemal Surmanidze, Head of the Regulatory and Methodological Department of the federal project “Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment” at the Project Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Construction;
- Ekaterina Manzhula, Member of the Expert Council of the Russian Ministry of Construction;
- Elmira Nizamova, Head of the Strategic Planning Department at the Institute for the Development of Cities and Villages of Bashkortostan and Methodologist of the “Universal Methodology for Post-Assessment of Improvement Projects 2.0”;
- Anna Abdulkaderova, Head of the Federal Grants Department at the Institute for Urban Development of Tatarstan.
The discussion was moderated by Elena Vereshchagina, Coordinator of Post-Project Research in the Republic of Tatarstan and Publisher of the urban development media outlet “Who Is Your City?”.