The winners of the city-wide WeAlmaty competition organized by the Mayor of Almaty, the British Council and the Kazakhstan-British Technical University with financial support from the European Union were honored in Almaty. The winners of grants of 5,000 euros were Zhanar Sambetova (School of Landscaping), Rakhim Aybek (Tazalyk), Veronika Nasalskaya and Vyacheslav Istyufeev (Urban Sound-Art Laboratory), Asiya Tulesova (IE «With Love in Every Loop«), Sergey Vasilyev (Development of the Environmental Community and creation of a «smart» public space in the Karasu microdistrict, Almaty city).
«We will provide 5 grants each year, so those participants who have not qualified this year can test their strength again next year. The purpose of the grant program is to involve the city's residents in the process of developing socio-economic projects aimed at the sustainable development of Almaty,» said Trajan Christea, ambassador and head of the European Union's representative office in Kazakhstan.
A total of 131 projects participated in the competition, the best were determined on the principles of long-term effect, maximum proximity to the realities, proportionality of the budget. The funds allocated are intended for the implementation of marked projects. The total amount of funding that the EU plans to allocate under the «We Almaty» contest over the next few years is 430,000 euros.
During the 4th forum dedicated to the development of the Almaty Master Plan, a dialogue between state structures and residents of the city was also built, during which it was possible to develop a common vision of the city's development within the framework of the Master Plan, a new structural and functional model of the city, which includes the development of the urban environment. The forum gave their recommendations on how to make the city convenient and accessible for different groups of the population, including mothers with young children in wheelchairs, people with disabilities, cyclists, the elderly and students.
The WeAlmaty project is closely linked to the nation's «100 Concrete Steps» Plan to implement five institutional reforms, as step 97 provides for «expanding the ability of citizens to participate in decision-making through the development of self-regulation and local government.»
