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Urban & Regional Infrastructure: Its Effect on the Development of Local Economies Moscow, 23 April 2008 Darrell Stanaford, Managing Director, Russia & Ukraine Infrastructure: Foundation of Economic Development Electricity & Natural Gas that power & heat the workplace, research & production facilities & the home Road, rail & air transport that gets people, raw materials & goods to the places they are in demand Built infrastructure: schools, medical facilities, factories, offices, warehouses, retail & cultural complexes “Build it and they – businesses and people – will come” Post-Soviet infrastructure development From State Planning to no planning or “Let’s get the investor to pay for it” Electricity – heavily subsidized rates for consumers + no state control & no state spending resulted in no speculative development & prohibitive costs for investors Urban & Regional Planning – lacking, not market oriented Consequences of Infrastructure Lagging • Investment is slowed or goes elsewhere • Growth of employment, consumption is constrained • Supply of facilities & goods is constrained, prices increase • Imbalances are reinforced, not alleviated Moscow Races Ahead: Bad for Moscow, Bad for Russia Businesses choose Moscow because: • Access to customers & decision-makers • Air connections internationally & to major Russian cities • Labor Workers choose Moscow because: • Availability of jobs & career growth potential • Quality of life: culture, retail, leisure, education Bad for Moscow: Extreme imbalance in supply & demand Bad for business: • Rapid increase in cost of facilities, services • Dramatic increase in cost of labor + high turnover & shortage of qualified specialists • Shortages constrain growth Bad for workers: • Dramatic increase in cost of living, especially housing • Declining quality of life: congestion, pollution Bad for Russia & the Regions Lack of new businesses = lack of investment, new tax revenue, jobs The young and talented leave to make their careers, start their families Lack of qualified labor prompts businesses to look elsewhere….. …….a downward economic spiral Leading with Infrastructure Creating the Foundation for a Modern, Diversified National Economy •Large scale, pro-active urban and regional planning based upon commercially sound market principles •Federal & regional legislation that creates clear rules for transparent public-private partnership •Market-oriented utility authorities: profit seeking, subsidies fading, full range of financing tools available = incentive to speculatively invest in commercially sound projects promoted by local government