Rustam Minnikhanov meets Founder and Head of Gehl Architects Mr. Jan Gehl

On August 27, at their meeting at Tatarstan Government House, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and Founder and Head of Gehl Architects Jan Gehl (Denmark) discussed issues of cooperation in the field of city planning, use of the experience of foreign countries in the formation of modern cities and urban infrastructure.

Rustam Minnikhanov reminded that he and Jan Gehl had discussed these issues within the framework of their meeting at the Saint-Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier this year (May 22, 2014). He also said that the project “Strategies of social and economic development of Tatarstan till 2030” (Strategy – 2030) implies further development of Kazan and Kazan agglomeration in general (the so called “Big Kazan”).

“In addition to Kazan, we plan to develop its suburbs and new projects, such the Innopolis innovative satellite town, Smart City Kazan, as well as other microdistricts”, Minnikhanov said. "The work should be organized based on the latest urban planning standards,” he continued.

According to Tatarstan President, the work on the improvement of Kazan districts is underway. “Your experience in these issues is of interest to us,” Minnikhanov said, addressing Jan Gehl.

Jan Gehl, in his turn, appreciated many projects implemented in Kazan in terms of city space planning, as well as the current state of the city in terms of the development of the transport system and other components.

During the meeting, Jan Gehl presented Gehl Architects’ projects implemented in other cities and told about research done in the field of urban environment, planning of modern spaces, and trends in the development of megapolises.

Aide to Tatarstan President Olesya Baltusova, Taratsan Minister of Construction Irek Faizullin, Tatarstan Minister of Economy, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and other officials took part in the meeting.

For information:

Gehl Architects is an urban research and design consultancy based in Copenhagen, Denmark, founded in 2000 by Architect Helle Søholt and Professor Jan Gehl. The company has a number of awards in the field of architecture and is the honorary member of the American Institute of Architects .

Clients include: Municipality of Copenhagen, Department of Transportation (DOT) in New York City, Melbourne City Council, The Energy Foundation in Beijing, China, Brighton & Hove City Council in the UK, City of Christchurch in New Zealand, Institute of Genplan in Moscow, among many others.

The work of Gehl Architects builds on Jan Gehl’s 40 years of extensive research on life in public space. Along with new research this continues to provide the foundation for their work in small and large cities around the world. Gehl Architects offers expertise in the fields of architecture, urban design and city planning. Their work is based on the human dimension – the built environment’s effect on activity patterns and interaction between people.