Ilsur Metshin: ‘The main thing is not to lose the construction complex and the opportunity to buy housing’

“Kazan before and after the BRICS Summit are two different cities”

Opening the meeting with journalists, the Kazan mayor noted that the current year “was the first, record-breaking and epochal in many respects.” Many international events have been held in Kazan, “but 2024 surpassed all of them in terms of quantity and significance,” Ilsur Metshin emphasised.

According to him, were the Games of the Future the year began with was the golden page in the history of world sports. They were followed by the BRICS Games, which attracted the attention of the whole world. The BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities was created in Kazan, and more than 200 mayors, vice-mayors and leaders of municipal associations with a population of 2.6 billion people came to the founding meeting. The next meeting will be held in Iran and Brazil. But the BRICS Summit, which hosted world leaders from 24 countries and six international organisations, was the key event of the year, of course.

“Kazan before and after BRICS are two different cities. We have launched major infrastructure projects, for 50 years our predecessors dreamed of building both Voznesensky Trakt and Gorkovskoye Shosse highways. 85% of the roads are in due condition, the average in Russia is 54%, we are seriously ahead. We have built three schools, three kindergartens, overhauled many things and delivered the beautiful Kamal Theater — it is like a beautiful large diamond in the centre of Kazan,” the mayor noted.

1.415 million square metres of housing have been built in the city

According to him, the city is successfully ending the year, demonstrating good growth in many indicators. Over 10 months, the industrial production index in Kazan was 108.3%. The volume of shipped goods of own production is 650 billion rubles (+21%). In the total volume of shipments, 79% are products of the manufacturing industries, the production of which increased by 19%. The main contribution was made by defence industry enterprises. The gross territorial product by the end of the year is expected to be more than 1.6 trillion rubles.

The average salary at large and medium-sized enterprises in the city increased by 21% over the first 9 months of the year and exceeded 89,000 rubles. In this indicator, Kazan improved its position among million-plus cities in Russia (except Moscow and Saint Petersburg), moving from fourth to third place over the year, and even earlier it occupied seventh place.

The mayor also focused on the topic of housing construction. “Last year, when I said that we had delivered 1.3 million square metres of housing, I thought that was the ceiling. The dream of any head of state, region or city is to build one square metre of housing per person. We have 1.3 million residents, and last year we built 1.3 million square metres of housing for the first time. Just like the birth rate, this is a litmus test for assessing the state of the economy. This year we are ending the year with a figure, you will hear it for the first time: Kazan has built 1.415 million square metres of housing.”

“Serious people from the authorities asked questions”

Transport reform remains a serious challenge for the city, a number of issues need to be resolved. Some of them were resolved within the framework of the BRICS Summit and thanks to the support of the republic — 39 new MAZ trolleybuses were received. “I myself was at the production site, this is a world-class machine with good air conditioning, a smooth ride,” said Ilsur Metshin. Another 127 new buses appeared on the roads of Kazan, which were purchased on a co-financing basis. In total, public transport has grown by 4 billion rubles.

During the year, 18 public spaces were created, the main one of which was the Children's Park in the center of Kazan. In terms of the number of social facilities built — 177 in 10 years — the city is the leader among cities with a population of over a million, with the exception of both capitals. Novosibirsk is far behind us.

“When I thank everyone, it doesn’t mean that we are always asking. The budget of Kazan with all subventions and grants is 50 billion rubles. This year we will collect 350 billion rubles at all levels of the budget, that is, we are very large donors to Kazan,” the mayor said.

The capital of Tatarstan is still popular with tourists, already in October the tourist flow exceeded 4 million people, by the end of the year 4.5 million are expected. The city has added five hotels during the period of preparation for the BRICS Summit, and the results of social surveys following the summit surprised the mayor of Kazan the most:

“Special agencies measure everything, including the mood of people: how big the event ruined your life or what was your mood like during these three days. These were serious people from the authorities asked Kazan citizens questions, and the answers were a paradox in a good sense of the word,” he said recalling that foreign journalists reported the same thing after asking taxi drivers in Kazan, “All the taxi drivers praised the city and were grateful to the BRICS Summit: yes, it is difficult these days, but how much has been done! Without such people who love their city, Kazan would not have become the city that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin said was one of the best cities in Europe.”

“What's next? Let them set tasks, we will accomplish them”

“The BRICS Summit is behind, is there a feeling that this was the limit of Kazan?” the head of the city was asked. It is too early to rest on our laurels, he is convinced:

“After the Universiade, I thought that this was a big gold championship medal. But the first snowfall, the blizzard that swept the city, quickly dropped me from this swing to the ground, and even pushed me down the hill. I realised that no yesterday's merits can advance you — there is no ski track ahead. Therefore, having learned from this experience, on Monday, I told my colleagues: we have turned over another golden page and are not starting from scratch, but we are starting a new year and a new stage in the development of Kazan. There is no perpetual motion machine, fortunately, these “swings” stop very quickly, and we must move on.”

Continuing the topic, Ilsur Metshin put an example from his childhood when a family with relatives planted potatoes on 50 acres of land. “My mom, dad, brothers, aunts and I came. You see 50 acres, and it seems simply impossible to dig it up, but that's one question. There is no need for so many potatoes, but we plant them all the time. Then spring comes, and I hear my mom and dad talking about selling potatoes.” The city is also developing, he said — it seems like the volume is prohibitively large, but in this case, the efforts and labour are fully justified. Hoteliers invested a billion rubles in upgrading their hotel rooms in preparation for the BRICS Summit.

“And when you wave goodbye to the last departing guest, you think — did we do it or not, it turns out that it is not the gods who burn the pots. What's next? We heard the president, he said: we will use the infrastructure of the capital of Tatarstan to the fullest. Therefore, as they say, let them set us tasks, we will fulfil them with pleasure,” the mayor assured the audience.

“What do we need to build with such a rate of 21%?”

In addition, despite all the difficulties, according to him, the city needs to maintain the pace of housing construction.

“We have a very difficult situation. Yes, we have 1.4 million square metres of housing this year. But with the current key rate of 21%, what do we need to build? I don’t know. Therefore, the main thing is not to lose the construction complex and the opportunity for people to buy this housing. I’m not even talking about the construction complex or specific companies. Over the past 20 years, people have got used to affordable mortgages and the opportunity to start a family and move away from their parents if both are working,” the mayor noted.

According to him, the agenda also includes preparations for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War — the holiday must be celebrated with dignity. We must continue working, providing support to participants in the special military operation and their families. This year, the city crossed the 2 billion ruble mark and sent more than 1,600 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

A waste incineration plant is entering a new phase of construction, for which a new technology partner has been found abroad. Instead of the Swiss-Japanese consortium Hitachi Zosen Inova, which refused to supply equipment for the waste incineration plant to Kazan, the case was entrusted to the Chinese corporation Chongqing Sanfeng Covanta Environmental Industry.

“No one could have imagined that events would develop this way, four plants managed to order and contract with the equipment that was declared. While they were coordinating, Kazan fell out. But you know, China does not only make cars. Rostec operator got a contract, they paid the first billion. The contract was signed, it is already at the implementation stage. I think that after the New Year, our partners from the Housing and Utilities Department will come, and we will be able to present it to you,” promised Ilsur Metshin.

By 2028, a waste sorting complex and the plant itself should be built, he specified.

New “bombastic” locations in Kazan

In the new year, Kazan will also have to collect a tax from tourists — will this scare away guests, the mayor was asked? But 100 rubles per hotel room is not a very large sum, he believes. “Tourists in Kazan spent 26 billion on their needs in 10 months, it is a 22% increase,” the mayor said adding that tax revenues would be much smaller and that these funds would be used to develop tourism infrastructure.

Speaking about new facilities in the city, journalists inquired about the fate of the construction of the Cathedral Mosque in Kazan. “And what did the rais of the Republic answer to this question?” Metshin asked. “Let me ask him and I will answer you because I know for sure that Rustam Minnikhanov is not just hatching these plans.” According to him, the mosque will be built along with the restoration of the buildings of the Kazan Virgin Mary Monastery: “First Vice Mayor Denis Kalinkin has been tasked with supervising both construction projects. I think next year, but I repeat, you should have asked the rais of the republic.”

The topic was continued, moving on to a discussion of new public spaces. Kazan has already seen beautiful embankments, landscaped parks and squares. What's next? It is noteworthy that the city is being transformed not only through budget funds — this is also due to business. For example, Profsoyuznaya or Stolbova Streets have become landmarks. What areas should entrepreneurs pay attention to?

“Everything that is developing along Voznesensky Trakt, that is, the first floors of buildings, will be the coolest location. People will not have to go out on Saturdays to eat out with their children or hang out with young people — this will definitely happen there, only if you need to go to the theatre or to some group. Riviera will be a bombastic place, God willing, after a long approval process, we will start construction, and God willing, with the current interest rates, to implement this,” the mayor answered.

Among other “cool projects” in the city, he named the development of Novaya Portovaya Street area, but all this will be possible if the Central Bank lowers the key rate, and loans for business become more affordable.