Graduate School of Urban Studies at International Policy Forum on Urban Growth and Conservation

On September 20 – October 3 the International Policy Forum on Urban Growth and Conservation was held in Iran.

The first part of the forum was a ten-day international student workshop, which took place in one of the oldest cities - Hamadan. Students from Iran, China, Japan and Russia and the international tutor team analyzed and discussed modern problems of Hamadan and offered their ideas on the development of the city.

The participants analyzed four main issues raised during discussions with the administration and local experts:

• Construction quality in the housing sector and the quality of life and urban environment
• Conservation of the city natural resources
• Revitalization and preservation of the historic center
• Suburban growth and bigger strain on the transport infrastructure

The second part of the forum was the international conference in Tehran, where researchers and practitioners shared experience in the development and preservation of historical cities, discussed the issues of attracting investment in central historic places, the regulation of urban planning activity in historical centres, and many others.

Vitaly Stadnikov, Deputy Dean at the Graduate School of Urban Studies and Planning, presented the report on ‘The Return of Privately Owned Land and Heritage Preservation’. Students of the School Anastasia Shemetova and Sofia Pershina and Expert Marina Sapunova also took part in the event.

The Graduate School of Urban Studies and Planning would like to thank Eugenia Repina for the invitation to participate in the event and the organizers of the International Forum on Urban Growth and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Eurasia Region for the help in funding the trip, and the administration of Hamadan for providing necessary information for project work.