Nice technocrats promise "safe & comfortable conditions" for Russia's Smart City inmates

Many smart things were said at the "Smart City - Smart Country" forum in Ufa

Forum participants flirt with a GrefBot9000 (Photo credit: bashinform.ru)

The capital of Bashkortostan had the honor of hosting the 4^th International Forum “Smart City - Smart Country”, a three-day orgy of technocracy that ended on Friday.

And yes, the conference was sponsored by Sberbank. These types of events are always sponsored by Sberbank. (For scientific purposes, create a Facebook Event called: “Let’s hang out and discuss how to more efficiently manage the cattle”. Within seconds you will be contacted by Herman Gref, who will offer to sponsor your powwow and provide it with artistically gifted robots. Works every time.)

But Sber is so much more than just a bank… (source: forumsmartcity.ru)

Headed by the Ministry of Construction, Russia’s “Smart City” project aims to develop “an effective urban management system, creating safe and comfortable conditions for citizens, and increasing the competitiveness of Russian cities.”

Safe! Comfortable! Convenient! Effective! And there are so many other adjectives that could be used to describe the noble goal of making Russia’s cities “smart”.

(Russia’s capital is arguably the Smartest city in the country—and not just because of its safe and convenient biometric payment system. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has pledged to introduce “genetic passports” and even “implanted medical digital devices”, which can be used to calculate insurance payments for his city’s lucky residents. These are just a few of the exciting features included in Sobyanin’s “Moscow 2030” project.)

Anyways … what kinds of Sber-sponsored things were said at this Smart City forum in Ufa?

(source: RIA Novosti)

RIA Novosti has the hot scoops:

At the opening of the forum, a statement from the Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities of the Russian Federation was read by his deputy Konstantin Mikhailik.

“Digitalization is one of the main components of the strategy for the development of the construction industry, housing, and communal services of the Russian Federation until 2030. […] This year marks 5 years since the start of the active implementation of the Smart City project. During this time, more than two hundred cities from different regions of our country have implemented modern digital solutions, the main purpose of which is to create safe and comfortable living conditions for citizens,” Fayzullin said in his greeting.

According to him, the Smart City - Smart Country forum is one of the key events in the field of digital transformation of cities.

“Its participants will be able not only to discuss the conditions for the further development of intelligent urban systems, but also to develop effective mechanisms for interaction between representatives of authorities, business and the industry community. I wish the organizers and participants of the forum interesting discussions, new useful knowledge and success in the practical implementation of the plans,” the minister added.

The same tired word salad—sponsored by Sber (and BRICS).

BRICS will surely fix this. (source: forumsmartcity.ru)

Remember back in January when this blog warned that Russia was becoming increasingly safe and convenient?

I’m starting to notice a trend.

(Also, thank you to the excellent Anna Rudneva for alerting me about this very smart conference in Ufa. You should follow her on Telegram, and if you aren’t familiar with her work, you should also read this interview.)

Until next time.