I. Metshin: "We are currently discussing in which city our children will live."

      The projects of the Kazan Sustainable Development Strategy until 2030 were presented to the Mayor of Kazan

      In the creative space "Adonis," initiatives aimed at becoming the foundation of the city's Sustainable Development Strategy were presented to Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin. The heads of 7 out of 15 project groups working on the greening of urban infrastructure, the development of creative industries, a circular economy, and health preservation presented their proposals.

      Photo: Denis Gordiyko

      Approximately 1,800 tons of waste are removed from Kazan daily, and during peak periods, up to 2,000 tons. Over the past 20 years, waste volumes have increased by about four times. Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin set the task of developing measures that would lead to a reduction in waste sent to landfills. A Sustainable Development Strategy for Kazan was developed, projected until 2030 with a perspective until 2040. It was presented at a session of the Kazgoroduma last year by Valeria Marshalova, director of the strategic management agency "KOMANDA." To translate the provisions of the Strategy from a document into specific urban projects, 15 project teams were formed in Kazan at the end of 2025, uniting representatives of government, business, science, and the expert community. The result of their work was about 250 initiatives, 30 of which were selected as strategically priority.

      "Designing the Future": an international youth forum with an EGS agenda

      Director of the Parks and Squares Directorate Aigul Latypova spoke about the formation of ecological thinking and a new way of life. She proposed to hold an international youth forum "Designing the Future." The platform should unite youth, representatives of municipalities, businesses, and the expert community to work on sustainable development issues. Among other initiatives are the production of benches in parks from recycled plastic, the development of a network of public composters, and the implementation of alternative energy sources. Additionally, urban spaces may feature benches with USB ports for charging devices using solar energy. It is proposed to develop a unified eco-friendly regulation for urban events.

      Eco-champions from the first grade

      The head of the education department Irek Rizvanov paid attention to environmental education. He presented projects for schoolchildren, parents, and teachers. One of them, "EcoChampions," is a city competition among schools for separate waste collection. Participants are expected to not only learn the principles of waste management but also to independently collect recyclables and send them for processing. For schoolchildren, it is also proposed to conduct ecological laboratories outdoors and create school gardens. Another initiative is participation in the project "Caps for Algae": children and parents collect plastic caps, and the proceeds are directed to the purchase of fish fry that help clean water bodies from overgrowth.

      Waste into income, soil into work: how Kazan is launching a circular economy

      General Director of the Housing and Utilities Management Company Evgeny Chekashov, who heads the project group on circular economy, spoke about the transition from separate waste collection to a circular economy. He named one of the key projects "Secondary Raw Materials Exchange" – an online platform where residents and enterprises can sell, exchange, or transfer materials for reuse. This includes construction materials, wood waste, chips, fertile soil, and other resources that can be recycled. Currently, "yellow nets" are installed at 76% of container sites. In just the first half of 2026, the Housing and Utilities Management Company removed over 1,600 tons of recyclables from them. Plans are in place to fully equip container sites with "yellow nets" by the end of 2026 and expand the network of recycling points. Another direction is the creation of an eco-technopark to develop the circular economy sector in Kazan and return secondary resources to production.

      Green corridors

      The idea of creating a continuous network of urban green spaces was presented by the chairman of the external improvement committee Albert Shainurov. The concept of "green corridors" involves uniting parks, natural areas, and residential courtyards into a single ecological contour through additional greening of the "corridors." This concerns not only existing green zones but also the transformation of streets, boulevards, and front gardens between them. One possible route being considered is the connection between the natural area of Savinovo, Victory Park, and other green spaces in the city. It is also proposed to develop "Green Trails" to familiarize residents with specially protected natural areas. Another initiative is a unified ecosystem dendroplan for Kazan, which will define greening principles considering the characteristics of the territories and the condition of plantings.

      The city as a creative cluster

      The head of the personnel policy department of the Kazan Executive Committee Irina Bochkova spoke about opportunities for self-realization of residents and the development of creative industries. She proposed creating a unified digital database of urban venues for representatives of creative professions. This could include cultural centers, youth clubs, studios, and other spaces with information about available slots, equipment, and usage conditions. This will allow young designers, musicians, authors, and creative teams to work within the existing urban infrastructure. Among other proposals is "My Day for the City," which provides for one paid day a year for volunteer activities, and the development of the CRM system "Kind Kazan" for coordinating volunteers and charitable projects. The program "The City Says: Thank You" aims to implement a reward system for active citizens. To support local producers, it is proposed to develop the brand "Created in Kazan" and a network of urban corners. A unified calendar of urban events is also planned, combining night festivals, markets, and runs into the "Night in Kazan" program.

      Digital doctor

      The head of the project group on health preservation – head of the Kirov and Moscow districts Vladimir Zhavoronkov spoke about forming a culture of a healthy lifestyle. One of the proposals was to create the service "Know Your Health." Users answer questions about their diet, sleep, and activity levels, and based on several markers, they receive recommendations for each area and information on which doctor it is advisable to consult. "We are not trying to replace the healthcare system, but merely help a person adjust their lifestyle," noted the district head. He provided data showing that with less than 6 hours of sleep per day, mortality from all causes increases by 12%, the risk of dementia increases by a third, and the risk of traffic accidents increases by 4.3 times.

      Unified center for future management

      The head of the project group on managing the sustainable transformation of the city – head of the Soviet district Roman Fakhutdinov spoke about creating infrastructure for implementing the Sustainable Development Strategy. As one of the main solutions, he proposed creating a separate operator – a non-profit organization or NGO for sustainable development. Such a structure could coordinate strategy projects, unite the city, business, and residents, and attract additional extrabudgetary funds. According to the authors' concept, the operator will accompany projects at all stages – from finding funding and supporting initiatives to their practical launch. Summarizing the meeting, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin instructed to analyze these proposals for possible implementation. He stated that the key to success lies not in one-time actions but in changing the worldview of citizens. "When we started the 'Kind Kazan' project, there was also a small movement at first, but over the years, a whole generation of people has grown up who understand that they need to do good and help those in need. I am confident that gradually citizens will change their attitude towards environmental issues and will be ready for active actions: sorting waste, making compost where possible. The decisions we make today determine what Kazan will be like tomorrow. We are now discussing the city in which our children will live," emphasized the city head. Anna Sadaeva