{Study Visit of Expert,Session “Modern City: Urban Studies, Mobility, Technology”, Third International Youth Forum “In the City”, Petrozavodsk (Russia), July 4-8, 2016}
On July 4-8, 2016 The Third International Youth Forum “In the City” was held in Petrozavodsk. On the first day of the Forum organizers launched the "Open Quarter" right in the city center that was divided into ten stages – each has its own theme related to the city development: Healthy, Green, Harmonious, Original, Clean, Modern, Favorite.
Petrozavodsk State University became the main expert and discussion platform in the next four days. Working with experts in the thematic platforms and lectures provided an opportunity to hear the expert views. It is important that the young participants themselves tried to think what should be the city where they would like to live.
The Project Team “GREEN MOBILITY – Towards Clean, Healthy and Accessible Environment” realized by the Nordic Council of Ministers could not miss such an important event in the city and on July 7 at the invitation of the organizers became the organizer of the stage "MODERN CITY: Urban Studies, Mobility, Technology" and also gather a strong expert team:
- Lotta Muurinen, Project Coordinator, Helsinki City Library (Finland)
- Olga Iakimenko, Head of Internet Projects and Marketing Communications, ICSER Leontief Centre
- Anastasia Nerovnaya, Coordinator of the Cycling Movement VELOVE in the Republic of Karelia, City Youth Center Specialist
- Maria Bulatova, Consultant, Foreign Economic Relations Department, State Committee of the Pskov Region on Economic Development and Investment Policy
- Irina Shirobokova, Sociologist, Project Coordinator, Open Urban Lab
- Dmitry Ioffe, Interregional Public Organization "Creative and Educational Entertainment Society
"Games of the Future"" - Ksenia Mikheeva, St. Petersburg Bloggers Community
The session was opened by the presentation of Green Mobility Project where Olga Iakimenko, Head of Internet Projects and Marketing Communications, ICSER "Leontief Centre", presented the main planned and realized Project activities as well as participation opportunities for Petrozavodsk partners. It was also presented the video clip about the Seminar under the Green Mobility Project in Petrozavodsk on May 29-31, 2016 on the theme "Development of Non-Motorized Modes of Transport as an Alternative to the Use of Personal Vehicles. The Possibilities of Adaptation of Foreign Experience in the Russian Federation: Problems and Ways of Their Solution".
Lotta Muurinen, Project Coordinator, Helsinki City Library, presented the new approach to the library space and told how the libraries have found the life in Finland. As well as the library helps to save money on the purchase of expensive books and publications now you enjoy free of charge not only the literature but also rent for example bicycles, tennis rackets or skiing. If anyone has no personal tonometer at home, he can measure the pressure in the library. Neighbors from Nordic countries found an original way to spur the reader's interest. Helsinki library network has two cargo bikes that ride to the rest places of the citizens and offer to spend free time with a book. For example, the librarian can go to the local beach with a rich selection of detectives. By the way, the residents of the Finnish capital are not required to return the book in the same branch, where it was given. You can return books in any city library using a single id-card.
The unique experience of the Pskov region on the theme “How to find money for new city projects, using cross-border cooperation programmes?” was shared by Maria Bulatova, Consultant, Foreign Economic Relations Department, State Committee of the Pskov Region on Economic Development and Investment Policy.
Irina Shirobokova from Open Urban Lab shared the results of the implementation of NCM Project "The City SAGA. Public Spaces in Transformation". The Project key partner has become the Danish architectural and urban planning bureau of Jan Gehl “Gehl Architects”. It is well-known that the Nordic countries have a great experience in the city spaces transformation and creating a friendly environment to the citizens. The basic principle of the Jan Gale methodology sounds like "cities for people", when the design of the urban environment is formed in accordance with the needs and active participation of citizens thereby increasing the space efficiency.
The environmental challenge was raised by Dmitry Ioffe, Member of Interregional Public Organization "Creative and Educational Entertainment Society "Future Games". Since 2014 Dmitry Ioffe has organized environmental strategic quests in the cities. Participants of the "Clean Games" compete in the selected area in the search for garbage, look for artifacts, earn points and at the same time clean the area from the garbage. Over the 26 games organizers together with the participants managed to collect more than 80 tons of garbage. In early September "Clean Games" will be held in Petrozavodsk and local activists picked up quickly this idea because events in the form of the game always attract many people to the problem and makes people think about their own role in city development.
During the mobility discussion participants spoke about the need for bicycle paths and pedestrian areas in the city center. Anastasia Nerovnaya, Expert, Coordinator of the Cycling Movement VELOVE in the Republic of Karelia, held an opinion poll among the participants and the results were divided. Not many young people saw advantages in the proposal to close several small central streets to automobile traffic.
As a result of the Forum five days "In the City" it was told how to transform the city space, make city more mobile and accessible, combine personal success with the development of the place where you live. Over hundred participants appreciated the atmosphere of the youth event and set the highest score to those experts who shared their experience. About 500 people joined the evening cultural program. City quests, themed film shows, dance in the park and many other things showed that young people of Petrozavodsk can independently create new high-quality conditions for the city life.
Materials:
Presentation of Green Mobility Project: Prospets and Possibilities for Cooperation
Olga Iakimenko, Head of Internet Projects and Marketing Communications, ICSER Leontief Centre, St. Petersburg
Sustainable Mobility in Petrozavodsk
Anastasia Nerovnaya, Coordinator of the Cycling Movement VELOVE in the Republic of Karelia, City Youth Center Specialist, Petrozavodsk
Library on the Go - Ways of Reaching Out in Helsinki City Library
Lotta Muurinen, Service Manager of the Helsinki City Library, Finland
Projects in Sphere of Alternative Mobility as One of the Project Areas for Cooperation Russia-EU 2014 – 2020
Maria Bulatova, Consultant, Foreign Economic Relations Department, State Committee of the Pskov Region on Economic Development and Investment Policy, Pskov
Mobility in City Studies and Projects
Irina Shirobokova, Sociologist, Project Coordinator, Open Urban Lab, St. Petersburg
Ecological Strategic Quests «Clean Games»
Dmitry Ioffe, Interregional Public Organization "Creative and Educational Entertainment Society
"Games of the Future"", St. Petersburg
The Role of St. Petersburg Bloggers Community in Realisation and Promotion of the Social Projects
Ksenia Mikheeva, St. Petersburg Bloggers Community
