WUF 13 Baku. UN-Habitat World Urban Forum

In 2026, the World Urban Forum will be held in Azerbaijan. WUF is the premier global conference on urbanization, held every two years, bringing together government representatives, mayors, leading urban development scholars, and international organization experts. Moscow traditionally participates in the City Forum as an exhibitor, showcasing modern urban development projects. This year, the Russian delegation includes leaders of the Russian UN-Habitat office, representatives of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, the Moscow government, experts from the Moscow Urban Center “Gorod,” and delegations from leading universities.

On May 18 at 11:00, a thematic round table titled “The Bright Future of Small Cities: Socio-Economic Development Projects” will take place, organized by the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. During the event, experts from Russia and Azerbaijan will discuss the role of small cities in modern society and their development strategies. The focus areas of the sessions include:

– Inter-municipal cooperation at regional, national, and international levels,

– Experience of small cities in Azerbaijan (the “Creative Cities and Regions” program),

– Small cities in Russia within the spatial development strategy of the Russian Federation,

– Projects on creating comfortable urban environments by the Russian Ministry of Construction (how they can be useful for other countries),

– Comprehensive territorial development projects (CTD) as investment tools for small cities.

Experts include:

– Alexey Nikolaevich Raskhodchikov, Chairman of the Board of the “Moscow Urban Center ‘Gorod'” Foundation, Associate Professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Chief Researcher at the D.S. Likhachev Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage, and Deputy Chair of the Research Committee on “Sociology of Urban and Regional Development” of the Russian Sociological Society.

– Veronika Nikolaevna Holina, Head of the Department of Regional Economics and Geography, leader of the “Urban Economics” profile at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, and full member of the Russian Geographical Society.

– Galina Valeryevna Kolesnikova, Head of the UN-Habitat Office in Russia and the CIS countries.