In Norilsk, the results of the implementation of the People's Program over five years were summed up and plans for the future were discussed
From April 8 to 10, a large-scale municipal reporting and program forum of United Russia “There is a result!” was held in Norilsk.
The event became a platform for dialogue between representatives of federal, regional and municipal authorities, business and the public to sum up the results of comprehensive work over the past five years and form new development vectors until 2031.
The main program of the forum unfolded on April 9 at several sites, including the updated social and cultural center “Tower”, the Youth Center and the Centralized Library System; on April 10, the delegation continued to work at the city's industrial and social facilities.
Setting the tone for the discussions, Chairman of the Norilsk City Council of Deputies, Secretary of the local party branch Alexander Pestryakov noted that the concept of the forum is built around a real dialogue with residents, on the basis of which the flagship municipal program “Norilsk-2035” was once formed:
“Over the course of three days, we host nine events, a significant part of which are organized directly at the updated infrastructure facilities. It is important for us to discuss not only how much has been built and done in five years, but why we did it. We did this because at one time we directly asked people about it, today we see the real effect of the work done and are making work plans for the next five years.”
Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexey Dodatko stated that the Norilsk experience of comprehensive planning has gone far beyond the city limits. According to him, Norilsk today is the flagship of state policy in the Arctic, and the approaches developed here are being replicated at the federal level:
“Norilsk has unique experience. Programs for the implementation of a comprehensive city development plan were largely used as a model, which is now being implemented at the federal level when approving the list of support settlements in the Arctic. Under these new master plans, which already include Dudinka, Khatanga and Dikson, significant amounts of federal funding have been identified, which will become a powerful incentive for the renewal of the northern territories.”
The results of this integrated approach were shared by the head of the city of Norilsk, Dmitry Karasev, who presented a detailed report on changes in the urban environment. He drew attention to the fact that the renovation program radically changes the quality of life of citizens: dozens of modern warm bus stops have appeared on the streets, the public transport fleet has been updated, and the sewerage system is being modernized:
“Over the past five years, Norilsk has for the first time had an index of housing commissioning, which has not happened for more than 30 years: we have already commissioned the first houses and are designing new ones. At the same time, we are not limited to measures to support just one comprehensive plan, but are actively attracting federal funds within the framework of national projects in order to progressively move towards a complete renewal of our city.”
The detailed discussion at the venues also touched on specific achievements within the framework of federal party projects. Thus, in the “Urban Environment” direction, dozens of courtyard and public spaces have been landscaped in Norilsk, including the Dolgoye Lake Park, and the priorities for reconstruction are determined by the Norilsk residents themselves during voting. There have also been noticeable successes in the field of road infrastructure: over five years, more than 80 kilometers of road surface have been repaired, and modern projection zebra crossings have been introduced for the safety of pedestrians in polar night conditions.
The economic foundation of development—support for local entrepreneurship—has not been left without attention. It was announced that the city is moving to a proactive approach: small and medium-sized businesses are offered ready-made investment packages for popular projects, be it the construction of greenhouses or hotels. In parallel, systematic work is being carried out to promote tax benefits for residents of the Arctic zone, which allows local entrepreneurs to remain sustainable and actively participate in the life of the city.
Large-scale infrastructural transformations would be impossible without close interaction between the authorities and the city-forming enterprise. Deputy Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Valery Semyonov drew attention to this. He noted that, despite objective logistics and economic challenges, consolidation of efforts produces impressive results:
“Today, at all levels in the Russian Federation, Norilsk is set as an example. The successful implementation of the renovation program gave a powerful impetus to the development of not only this city, but also other Arctic territories. We managed to achieve this only through the joint efforts of the municipality, the Norilsk Nickel company, the region and the federal center.”
However, the forum participants unanimously agreed that any investment in “concrete” and infrastructure makes sense only when it is aimed at people. Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Dmitry Sviridov emphasized the importance of open dialogue with residents and support of civil initiatives. Analyzing the development of the non-profit sector, the vice-speaker of the regional parliament noted:
“Norilsk is a platform where the most effective interaction between government bodies, the non-profit sector and society has been built. The funds that are invested today in infrastructure, improvement or healthcare are a single complex, and it must work exclusively in the interests of the people.”
This idea was developed by the executive director of the Coordination Council of the RSPP branches in the Siberian Federal District, Andrey Grachev. In his presentation, he outlined the principles of “social architecture” – an approach in which a comfortable urban environment is designed not “from above”, but based on the real needs of residents. He cited the Our Norilsk endowment fund as a successful tool for stimulating such initiatives:
“Instead of giving people fish, it’s better to give them a fishing rod. The fund does just that – in fact, it encourages residents to launch new projects and startups themselves. The fact that this successful experience is being scaled up and similar funds are already appearing in other regions proves that Norilsk residents are creative, innovative and ahead of the rest of the country.”
Speaking about investments in the future of the city, Andrei Grachev highly appreciated the level of involvement of Norilsk teenagers in public life. Having visited the sites of the Youth Center, he paid special attention to the quality of patriotic education: “I was sincerely pleased by the Norilsk Youth Army members and participants of the First Movement. There is absolutely no show in their achievements; these are real deeds of patriots, behind whom lies the future of our country.”
Summing up the interim results of large-scale discussions, Alexander Pestryakov noted: despite the impressive list of achievements, this is only part of a long journey. According to the secretary of the local party branch, the main value of current meetings lies not in ceremonial reports, but in an honest analysis of what remains to be resolved: “Really a lot has been done, but we have an even greater volume of tasks ahead. That is why our main goal today is not to stop there, but to collect specific proposals from citizens,” he concluded.
All initiatives collected during this open dialogue will form the basis of the city's development strategy for the next five years.
