Ural Federal University: Regions Require Powers to Effectively Digitalize City Planning
Currently, there are a number of systemic problems in the field of information modeling technologies, which create difficulties in the work of urban planners. This was reported by Anton Shafarostov, the Deputy Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Development of the Sverdlovsk region, at the III United Eurasian Congress “Information Modeling Technologies-Community – 2022. People. Technologies. Strategy. Ekaterinburg” held in the Ural Federal University. The main challenges the expert named the lack of consolidated powers of the federal and regional executive authorities and the decentralization of specialists and existing instruments.
Information modeling technologies significantly facilitate the construction of any infrastructure facilities. However, regulations on information modeling are not stated in official documents. This complicates the federal initiative to introduce information modeling technologies into the construction and operation of facilities, especially in the area of financial and legal support, Shafarostov notes. This is why the Sverdlovsk authorities ask to give the federal and regional executive authorities the powers in the sphere of information modeling technologies.
“We propose to centralize the project planning functions of regional and municipal facilities at the level of subjects. This should be done not only for ministries, but also for sectoral departments and administrations. At the regional level we need to create centralized project institutes, which will be able to unite specialists in engineering of schools, hospitals, sports, culture, etc. At the regional level we must also centralize the existing capacities and experts in the field of information modeling technologies. This will allow to unite capacities and facilitate our efforts in engineering and modeling of territories in conditions of acute shortage of specialists,” the expert explains.
The main subject of the congress was the issue of import substitution of information modeling technologies that left the market. During the discussion, the experts noted that a series of solutions have still been approved, the existing domestic technologies are already facilitating the construction processes. For example in 29 regions, including the Sverdlovsk Region, the State Information System for Urban Planning Activities of the Russian Federation operates. It ensures the efficient management of capital construction projects, provides full information on capital construction projects and thus optimizes the state management of urban planning.
“The technologies that we discuss today are the confirmation of the fact that in the current situation we are not confused, but continue to work productively. In particular, we pay more attention to technological sovereignty. The Ural Federal District has serious potential, and there are many modern technologies and solutions that allow us to respond to the current challenges with dignity. I note that the Ural Federal University was not chosen by chance as the venue for this congress. It is the alma mater of various specialists, including future builders and developers of modern software,” emphasized Vladimir Yakushev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Ural Federal District.
To note that UrFU has been training specialists in information modeling technologies since 2020 as part of the educational program “Information Modeling of Buildings, Structures and Territories”.