Secretary for Development Paul Chan has told a Russian urban planning forum that it is important to plan and implement infrastructure investments to maintain a city's competitiveness.
Speaking at the IV Moscow Urban Forum yesterday, he said governments should not lose sight of long-term objectives because of short-term economic fluctuations. If the investments are properly implemented, they can boost the economy during a downturn, while society can reap the full benefits of the economic upcycle, Mr Chan said.
The development chief also attended Moscow International Advisory Board on Urban Development meetings on December 9 and 10 during which, the region's urban planning, river regeneration, redevelopment projects and ideas on how to develop New Moscow were discussed.
He also visited the 70-hectare development project Crocus City in northwestern Moscow.
During his visit to the Russian capital, Mr Chan met Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development & Construction Marat Khusnullin, State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing & Utilities of the Russian Federation Aleksandr Plutnik, and called on the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation Zhang Xiao.
