Page 19 - International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Moscow

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to shape Smart Sustainable Cities - The case of Moscow

Moscow, one of Russia’s three federal cities, is the country’s capital and the largest city by
population and land area. The historic city dates back to the first half of the twelfth century. The
city’s urban infrastructure has evolved over and over again, in order to be responsive to its
citizens’ needs. Today, the city of Moscow continues to be Russia’s political, economic, financial,
cultural, architectural and scientific hub.
Moscow is one of the largest economies among global metropolitan areas – the tenth largest in
2017 based on gross domestic product (GDP). It is also one of more than 30 megacities around
the globe – a megacity defined by the United Nations (UN) as a metropolitan area with a total
population of more than 10 million people. Research into megacities has shown that, while
megacities are at great risk of being vulnerable to the impacts of climate and social change due
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to rapid urbanization, they also have the best chances in fostering a sustainable future.
Megacities are the engine of a country’s economic growth and social development and, in many
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cases, the drivers of broader regional urbanization. Megacities attract the most talented
individuals and lay the foundation for direct inward investment as they are often at the centre
of a cluster of smaller cities. This creates network effects that foster broader regional economic
growth and productivity. 10 The news in recent years indicates that this holds true for
11, 12
Moscow.
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At the sixth annual Moscow Urban Forum in early July 2017, Moscow’s Mayor, Mr Sergey
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Sobyanin, read an address from the Russian President, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, that stated:

“In the current global economy, the competitiveness of a country’s megacities determines
the competitiveness of the country as a whole, and thus we are paying close attention to
the quality of living in Moscow, all the items of infrastructure, traffic flow, energy saving,
and protection of cultural heritage.”

Given its vital importance to Russia and in order to respond to the challenges set by rapid
urbanization, over the last few years Moscow has undergone major revitalizations in its urban
infrastructures and in the way government services are delivered. One result of this has been its
rapid and successful evolution into a global European smart and sustainable city.

In the 2018 United Nations (UN) E-Government survey, Moscow is ranked number one among
40 cities in delivering digital services, followed by Cape Town and Tallinn, then by London and
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Paris. In July 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) included Moscow as one of the top five
“megalopolises” that are ready for innovation. In June 2017, the Russian capital received a

8 Urban Development Overview | World Bank
9 Kötter, Friesecke (2009)
10 Dobbs, et al. (2011)
11 https://www.mos.ru/en/news/item/36036073/
12 https://www.mos.ru/en/news/item/36584073/
13 The theme of the 2017 Moscow Urban Forum was “Age of Agglomerations. Rethinking the World
Map”. The theme in July 2018 will be “Megacity of the Future. New Space for Living”.
14 Stivers (2017)
15 https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/united-nations-ranks-moscow-top-for-e-government-
services-3174

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