The Russian regions are creating infrastructural opportunities using the mechanism of integrated territorial development (ITD) in an effort to draw attention to issues concerning and prospects for urban development. Regional specifics are being taken into account, particularly when implementing ITD projects in the regions of the Far East and Arctic. At present, ITD projects are an essential part of the master plans of the cities of the Far East. In addition, ITD can be used to solve the problem of dilapidated housing. What infrastructural opportunities are emerging in Russia’s regions for the use of the ITD mechanism? How should regional specifics be taken into account when implementing ITD projects in the regions of the Far East and Arctic? How are ITD tools helping to implement master plans for cities in the Far East? What best practices and approaches do ITD project offer for solving problems related to dilapidated housing?

Moderator:
Maria Sinicic — Director of the Department for Integrated Development of Territories, Ministry of Construction, Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation

The development and integration of lands in the Far East is strategically important not only for the economy of individual regions, but for the entire country as a whole. The Far East’s unique geographical position, natural resources, and potential offer new opportunities to develop various industries. Given the new geopolitical challenges and establishment of a multipolar world, the availability of spatial information for various purposes is becoming increasingly important. The National Spatial Data System (NSDS) currently being implemented in Russia plays a key role in the collection, processing, and provision of geospatial data. Spatial data is a key tool in the process of putting land into commercial use. It plays a particularly important role in the context of the Far Eastern regions, as it can be used to assess the potential of land, identify optimal sites for the development of industry, agriculture, and tourism, and make informed decisions about land use and territorial management. The use of spatial data contributes to the sustainable development of regions, the efficient utilization of land resources, and the creation of favourable conditions for economic growth and social progress. Much progress has been made since the idea first appeared in 2021 to create the NSDS Unified Digital Platform, which has now been put into industrial operation. It is a key achievement of the large-scale joint efforts of the federal authorities, companies, corporations, and regional teams. What Russian and foreign practices exist in terms of putting unused lands into commercial use? What socioeconomic effects have been obtained from the implementation of the NSDS state programme and what effects is it projected to produce in the future? How can technology and digitalization help in managing land resources?

Moderator:
Aleksei Butovetskii — Secretary of State – Deputy Head, The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr)

Speakers:
Anatoly Azizov — Managing Director, DOM.RF
Sergey Gavrilov — Сhairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Property, Land and Property Relations
Alicia Lopez Perez — Head of the Property Registration Department, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cuba
Dmitry Makhonin — Governor of Perm Territory
Emil Safarov — Director of the Department of Land Construction and the Unified State Real Estate Cadastre, "State Cadastre and Real Estate Register" of the State Service for Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Russia’s National Programme for the Socioeconomic Development of the Far East prioritizes improvements to people’s living standards and quality of life through the introduction of new architectural solutions and the use of new technologies in construction. Implementing projects that utilize modern technological approaches with energy-saving materials, information modelling technologies, and 3D printing in construction will not only reduce the cost of a square metre of housing, thus making it more affordable, but will also improve aesthetics when using innovative architectural and technological approaches in urban planning. Who is participating in these programmes, and what financial instruments are being used to implement them? What are the prospects for the future? What innovative solutions can be used to fill urban areas with new content?

Moderator:
Svetlana Opryshko — Director, portal Vseostroike.rf

Speakers:
Andrey Artamonov — General Director, DNS Development
Aisen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Yuriy Tyrtyshev — Founder, group of companies OOO "StroyArkhitekt"

Nowhere in Russia is the construction industry growing at a faster pace than in the country’s Far East. More than this, the construction complex is a key industry for economic growth and the wellbeing of citizens. At the same time, the level of development of the Russian construction sector lags behind that of developed countries. An analysis of the best foreign practices and Russian experience shows that the current state of affairs in domestic construction leaves much to be desired. Moreover, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and big data will clearly transform the forms and methods of construction. What are the best practices for the development of the construction industry in Russia and the world? What should the development strategy for the construction complex look like? What needs to be done to build more, cheaper, faster, and better?

Moderator:
Alexander Galushka — Vice President, Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation

Speakers:
Alexander Krutikov — General Director, Crystal of Growth Foundation
Dmitry Lebedev — General Director, Stroytransgaz

In 2023, Russia drafted 25 master plans for the development of cities in the Far East and approved 22 comprehensive long-term socioeconomic plans for cities and metropolitan areas. These plans include 875 measures with a total cost of RUB 4.4 trillion. For the first time in Russia’s history, the country has launched an ambitious macro-regional urban development project to create a new image of and develop cities in the Far Eastern Federal District. The programme aims to improve people’s quality of life, open up new horizons, develop promising sectors of the economy, create new jobs, and reveal the unique natural advantages of the Far Eastern regions. What are the initial results of the implementation of master plans for Far Eastern cities? What is the best way to raise additional funding for the construction of the facilities envisaged by the master plans? How is the socio-cultural programming of the regions being implemented through master plans? How are digital tools being introduced to manage, monitor, and analyse the implementation of these long-term plans? How should management teams be established as part of the creation of a new urban economy?

Moderator:
Vladimir Solodov — Governor of Kamchatka Territory

Speakers:
Elvira Nurgalieva — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Grigory Solomin — Managing Partner, NOVAYA

Since 2022, federal support has been approved for 36 facilities in 9 regions with a total estimated cost of about 125 billion rubles. When determining the recipients of this type of federal support, priority is given to infrastructure projects in Far Eastern cities that tackle socially significant issues and pave the way for further urban development. Many of the landmarks that have been built under the concession programme will become synonymous with the cities they call home, and will no doubt be in demand for generations to come. Given the existing budget constraints and the difficult economic condition, it is important to have a tool for creating key infrastructure facilities that do not involve significant one-time budget outlays. At the same time, the Far Eastern Concession is one of the few instruments that allows us to solve the problems associated with attracting private investment into infrastructure, bringing in bank financing, and carrying out long-term planning. To this end, a Government Decree was signed in 2024 setting the obligations of the federal budget in terms of co-financing Far Eastern Federal District projects under concession agreements until 2037, thus guaranteeing federal support during this period. To what extent is the construction of projects that have already been approved proceeding according to plan? What difficulties do investors and regions face? How can we attract financing in this challenging economic situation? What do businesses and the banking community need? How will the concession market change after the amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation come into effect?

Moderator:
Alexander Dolgov — Partner, Better Chance

Speakers:
Alexander Aksakov — Director of Infrastructure Bonds Division, DOM.RF
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Yuriy Korsun — Deputy Chairman, VEB.RF
Maxim Topilin — Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Economic Policy
Natalya Trunova — Auditor, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
Mikhail Chachin — Vice President, Sberbank

Front row participants:
Andrey Blokhin — Minister of Economic Development of the Primorsky Region
Ivan Potekhin — Executive Vice President, Gazprombank

Numerous trends point to the need for a conscious policy to transition from the population being concentrated in major cities to distributing it throughout Russia’s vast territory, including to achieve the country’s national goals. Private investors are now ready to invest in building and developing new cities, either as part of plans to set up new enterprises or to implement other investment projects. For Russia, this could become one of the methods used to revamp the settlement system and preserve the population in strategically important territories, including in the Far Eastern Federal District. Examples of such projects that are already being implemented include Dobrograd in the Vladimir Region, Ecopolis in the Sakhalin Region, DNS City in the Primorsky Territory, and the planned Micropolis in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). New cities can become centres for demographic development and a benchmark environment for families with children, and also support the birth rate and large families. But this requires new solutions not only in urban planning and the municipal economy, but in the actual philosophy (concept) of development and specific practices that focus on the needs of large families. Could these new Russian cities become points of attraction that will help redistribute migration and economic flows throughout the country? What strategy could be implemented to ensure the uniqueness of new cities? How can they utilize the principle of family-centricity in terms of the environment, services, and communities? What key mechanisms are needed to develop the economy of new cities? Could private investment be a tool for the country’s spatial development and the emergence of new cities? Could new cities create conditions to support families and birth rates, and encourage people to have more children in Russia?

Moderator:
Alexey Govyrin — Deputy, Member of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Small and Medium Enterprises

Speakers:
Dmitry Alexeev — General Director, DNS Group
Valery Limarenko — Governor of Sakhalin Region
Aleksandr Prygunkov — Managing Partner, Samolet Group of Companies
Vladimir Sedov — Founder, Askona Life Group; Dobrograd Project Author
Svetlana Chupsheva — General Director, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects

Infrastructure projects are among the main drivers of the socioeconomic development of the Far East regions with their multiplier effects. However, they are capital intensive and require the creation of conditions for business and the state to cooperate at the national and international levels, including in the BRICS+ space. With the implementation period of the Strategy for the Spatial Development of the Russian Federation and the Strategy for the Socioeconomic Development of the Far East and the Baikal Region set to conclude in 2025, it is important to discuss the strategic benchmarks of the macro-region and the drafting of long-term development documents, taking into account the need to further adjust the system used to assess the effectiveness of infrastructure projects, and prepare measures to support the involvement of private investors in their implementation. How can we combine the interests of the state, development institutions, and private investors in the implementation of infrastructure projects when structuring project financing transactions? What is the best way to ensure the financing of infrastructure projects in this era of high interest rates? How should the effectiveness of infrastructure projects be assessed? Which infrastructure projects in the Far East are the most promising? What new opportunities are being created in the BRICS+ space in terms of financing mechanisms and the implementation of long-term infrastructure projects?

Moderator:
Mikhail Kuznetsov — Director, Eastern State Planning Center (FANU Vostokgosplan)

Speakers:
Aleksandr Babakov — Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Ilya Gurov — Head of the Department of Finance and Credit, Faculty of Economics, Moscow State University
Yuriy Korsun — Deputy Chairman, VEB.RF
Jian Lian — Founder, Beijing Hengce Investment Consulting Co.
Oleg Melnikov — First Vice President, Gazprombank
Grigoriy Smirnov — Partner of the Public-private partnership, construction and infrastructure practice, Nikolskaya Consulting LLC
Maxim Topilin — Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Economic Policy

Front row participant:
Anna Baginskaya — Managing Director, Head of the PPP Center, Sberbank

Creating a comfortable living environment and social infrastructure in the Arctic is crucial to the development of the mineral-rich territory and the realization of its economic potential. Providing citizens with comfortable housing is one of the most important factors in curbing the outflow of population from the Arctic zone. At the same time, the Arctic is a region with extreme climatic conditions that are unsuitable for construction: low temperatures are observed there for most of the year. Construction work in the Arctic is also complicated by a major increase in the depth of permafrost thawing, which reduces the load-bearing ability of the soil. The problem of insufficient housing construction is also particularly relevant considering the major increase in the amount of dilapidated and emergency housing each year. The low temperatures related to the significant heat losses and permafrost soil that are typical for the Arctic zone require the use of special methods and technologies when constructing permanent buildings and structures, including residential ones (e.g., the construction of pile foundations, which increase construction costs by 20–40%). What are some of the specific aspects of how advanced technologies are developed and introduced for the construction of major housing projects in Russia’s Arctic zone that ensure the safety of facilities and the efficient spending of budget funds? What experience has been gained from the Affordable Rental Housing in the Far Eastern Federal District programme and its extension to the Arctic zone? How effective are state support measures for the parties involved in the implementation of housing construction projects?

Moderator:
Alena Rogozina — Special Correspondent, Russia-1 TV Channel

Speakers:
Andrey Grachev — Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs, Norilsk Nickel
Alexander Levintal — Managing Director for the Far East, DOM.RF
Aleksandr Prygunkov — Managing Partner, Samolet Group of Companies
Nikita Stasishin — Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation
Elena Stepanova — Director of Strategic Development, PIK-Specialized Homebuilder
Oleg Shulyatyev — Deputy Director for Research, Gersevanov Research Institute of Bases and Underground Structures (NIIOSP)