Plenary of the Conference

On 4 September, SPbGASU hosted a regional conference as part of the first stage of the All-Russian Housing and Utilities Forum "Urban Economy: Current Trends and Challenges". Its theme was the interaction of society and government bodies in the housing and utilities sector.

“Amid the current major changes in the housing and utilities sector, it is very important not only to find new solutions for the government, but also to strengthen trust between the government and society in order to make our city even more comfortable and attractive for living and working,” noted the Chairperson of the Public Chamber of St Petersburg Irina Sokolova.

The conference included a plenary session attended by Vice-Governor of St Petersburg Evgeny Razumishkin, Chairman of the Commission on Urban Economy and Creation of a Comfortable Urban Environment of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg Aleksandr Khodosok, Chairman of the Housing Committee of St Petersburg Denis Udod.

"This platform will allow us to talk about what we are doing today, what goals we have, what difficulties we are facing. I hope that this regional conference will also give us some guidelines that we can pay more attention to and conduct a dialogue," added Evgeny Razumishkin.

The discussion was moderated by Irina Sokolova, Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of St Petersburg Georgy Abelev, Chairman of the Commission on Improvement, Housing and Utilities and Ecology of the Public Chamber Valery Soldunov, Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Improvement, Housing and Utilities and Ecology of the Public Chamber, Vice President of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St Petersburg Aleksandr Khodachek.

The plenary discussed current tasks and challenges facing the housing and utilities sector of the Northern capital. The participants paid special attention to the introduction of innovations, digital services and neural networks into the housing and utilities system.

On behalf of SPbGASU, the Head of the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Utility Infrastructure Veronika Asaul gave a welcoming speech. She also took part in the section "Staffing of the Housing and Utilities System", speaking in detail about the training of personnel for the housing and utilities sector and the need for a systematic approach to the development of human resources for high-quality service to city residents. "In our work, we are guided by the Concept for the Development of Construction and Housing and Utilities until 2035, paying special attention to the training of qualified personnel at SPbGASU. Our activities contribute to the achievement of the strategic goals of the concept, including the modernization of infrastructure, improving the quality of services and the introduction of innovative technologies. Thus, we support the sustainable development of construction and the housing and utilities sector and the implementation of the key objectives of the concept," she noted.

The Public Chamber of St Petersburg expressed gratitude to the Rector of our university Evgeny Rybnov for supporting the event, to the Dean of the Faculty of Part-Time Studies Sergey Shirshchikov for assistance in organizing it, and noted the organizing committee of the conference for their efforts and professionalism, which ensured successful work. On the part of SPbGASU it included employees of the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Utility Infrastructure Yuri Tsvetkov, Isa Magerramov and Timur Ablyazov.

According to those present, the event became an important platform for exchanging experiences and discussing strategies for developing the housing and utilities sector. All participants expressed a sincere desire for close cooperation and joint resolution of existing problems, noting the importance of dialogue between the government and society.