Model for building a sustainable megapolis: Moscow’s experience

Abstract

The article summarizes the findings of an analysis of Moscow’s urban environment using three assessment instruments: the BRICS Cities Index for Spatial Development, the UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity Index, and the Urban Environment Quality Index. According to the study, Moscow is a proven example of a sustainable city, as evidenced by international ISO certifications and a range of national and international evaluation instruments, in which, regardless of methodology, Moscow is a leader. The study demonstrated how introducing the primary ESG principle - the interaction of the state, business, and society for sustainable development - as well as the mechanism of sustainable interaction of the aforementioned actors into management led to the establishment of Moscow model of a sustainable city. The author discovered that since all regions of the Russian Federation are attempting to implement ESG principles in management, other cities can adopt the Moscow model of a sustainable city. The analysis demonstrates that Moscow’s experience becoming a sustainable city can be «exported» abroad and adapted to the features of other big cities.