TOMSK, Nov 23 – RIA Tomsk. Experts from Russia and five more countries will discuss the prospects of development and urgent problems of the university cities. Why Tomsk became the platform for the international forum and which forms of discussion will take place – in material of RIA Tomsk.
"Clever" city is a university city
According to the region administration, the I International forum of University Cities will take place in Tomsk on November 23-26.
The head of regional Department of International and Regional Relations Alexey Stukanov told journalists on Wednesday at the press conference in the RIA Tomsk media center that interaction of a city and a university will become a principal theme of discussion at the Forum.ъ
"University city is continuation of the subject "smart city". Now only lazy person doesn't speak about SMART-city, but it would be desirable to discuss, what is it. Tomsk, as far as I know, is the only one or one of absolutely few cities of Russia, in which charter it is written down that the scientific and educational complex is the city-forming entity", – he noted.
"Tomsk always acted as an open university city, and we are very glad that there are three Novosibirsk higher education institutions and Irkutsk, Altai, and the Institute of Europe of RAS (Moscow) at the Forum", – Stukanov added.
According to him, not only representatives of the Russian higher education institutions, but also universities of Spain, France, Germany, Great Britain and Norway also participate in the conference.
Planning of the future
As the head of the regional Department of Science and Higher Education Nikolay Minayev noted at the press conference, wishes from participants of all levels how to make the city more convenient for students will become the main practical result of the Forum for Tomsk.
"There are territories, which gravitate to universities, but are located in such a way that students visit them, use infrastructure. And we want, development of the territories was based on a system basis. And the Forum will help to deliver accent and to understand how it is the most effective to use our resources", – he explained.
The deputy director of the Institute of Europe of RAS Vladislav Belov considers that specific proposals on interaction of the power, business and higher education institutions in "Tomsk as cultural and historical, economic and political space" shall become the main outcome of the Forum.
"I think that the Forum has to "sound" not only in Siberia. It would be desirable that the Forum would get a federal level. It can surprise many", – he told.
Open space and real experience
Officially the Forum will be opened on Wednesday. Participants will discuss the main trends of development of university cities of the 21st century at the plenary session.
According to the chief scientific secretary of TSU Lyudmila Borilo, there are such prominent foreign experts as the specialist in town planning Nicolas Buchoud and the head of the European program "City Dynamics" Mineyro Mari José among the invited guests of the event. Specialists in town planning and business development are among Russian conferees.
As Minayev noted, the competition of projects on development of Tomsk campus will become one of the important stages of the Forum. 10 works have been applicated, and two "most significant" will be presented on Thursday within a round table.
"We will hear the direct speech of students and we will understand what concerns them", – he emphasized.
"We carried out a similar one in Novosibirsk. (OpenSpace is a space), where the subject, trends of development of the cities are set, where there are no speakers and moderators, and there is a community of participants, who offer subjects, try to interest other participants. This is an appeal to the creative potential of participants. It is unknown who will head platforms. It is an experiment, and we hope for interesting results", – he explained.
Belov added that the decisions developed at the Forum need to be documented that they "haven't gone to sand", but work for future practical result.