Turkish Forum

Tag: Smart city

  • After major blackout in Azerbaijan is Baku’s bid for EXPO2025 still on?

    After major blackout in Azerbaijan is Baku’s bid for EXPO2025 still on?

    A massive blackout hit Azerbaijan and affected most of the cities including the capital, Baku, the EXPO 2025 candidate, on Tuesday. The blackout reportedly became the worst power cut since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

    electricity supply gradually restored in azerbaijan after major blackout 1

    The accident was investigated under personal control of President Ilham Aliiyev at a power plant in Mingechavir that caused the blackout, according to officials. The Emergencies Ministry said the breakdown of a transformer in Mingechavir initiated a fire that was put out in 20 minutes. No deaths were reported, though.

    Among the extra reasons of the power outage is the extreme hot weather in the Caspian region with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) that caused power consumption to spike.

    Officials said power was restored in Baku after several hours, but a number of subway stations in the capital remained closed for a while. Furthermore, on Tuesday evening, Baku and other regions suffered a second blackout.

    Due to extremely dynamic economic and urban development of Azerbaijan such accidents are uncommon for the Caspian country. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Baku has demonstrated fantastic development and became an attractive destination both for tourists and investors from all over the world. However, many experts believe that Baku’s victory to host EXPO2025 is most unlikely. For instance, Urso Chappell, the founder of digital ExpoMuseum said the city is perfectly designed for hosting national or regional events, but still lacks some key components of a smart city, e.g. automation systems, energy and water efficiency and others.

  • EXPO-2025 in Russia: what do international experts say?

    EXPO-2025 in Russia: what do international experts say?

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    Russia’s Ekaterinburg keeps the race for hosting EXPO-2025 getting in the top-candidate list. The city has chosen smart technologies and innovations as its main focus. Among the brightest objects of EXPO in Ekaterinburg is the monorail road project. Guests of the Forum, visiting the stand, will find themselves inside the cabin of the monorail and will have a chance to take a sightseeing tour through the territory of EXPO, as well as to experience life in the “Smart city”. Guests will also be able to enjoy a virtual tour with several stops and will experience the processes of “getting out” and “taking a walk” along the Verkh-Isetskiy promenade thanks to 3D modeling.

    International experts in urban planning and development say that over just several years Ekaterinburg has become a modern international city which strikes the perfect balance- historical architecture with the 19th century buildings and smart city technologies. Stephen Roosa, PhD, an international expert on renewable energy and urban development based in Louisville, USA, a regular speaker of Russia’s biggest smart city forums, puts a special focus on Еkaterinburg’s creative infrastructure solutions, interesting architecture and modern parklands.

    However, some experts say that Ekaterinburg will most likely not become the host of EXPO-2025 mainly due to political reasons. As Urso Chappell, the founder of digital ExpoMuseum, pointed out, Expo is basically a diplomatic event and the world’s political compass may not be favorable to Russia.

    Nevertheless, Ekaterinburg became second to one in the race to host EXPO-2020 giving in the victory to Dubai. Considering the city’s dynamic development and solid experience in hosting large-scale international events (among them is the first BRICS summit in 2009, INNOPROM, the fastest-growing industrial exhibition that takes place in Ekaterinburg every year, and, finally, the WorldCup 2018), the city has all the facilities to accommodate international guests and to organize a warm welcome. Indeed, this time Ekaterinburg has all the trumps to become the capital of the planet’s top exhibition.