Active Citizen, the capital’s digital survey platform, collected more than 6,000 votes as Moscow residents weighed in on the city’s development. The input gathered through this online process helped guide improvements across dozens of streets, avenues, boulevards, and squares, turning public sentiment into practical urban changes. At a news briefing, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin highlighted the outcomes, emphasizing that citizen participation can recalibrate how urban priorities are set. The episode underscored that a well-managed digital engagement system can translate community input into tangible, street-level results.
The mayor pointed to measurable benefits from the Active Citizen initiative, noting that Muscovites have influenced not only infrastructure projects but the everyday patterns of mobility as well. A striking example was broad resident backing for the Moscow Central Diameters project, which received public consent for its naming. Through collective input, the official designations Moscow High-Speed Diameter and the Big Circle Metro Line emerged, illustrating how participatory processes extend from initial planning to branding. This outcome helped residents feel a sense of ownership over major transportation corridors—an enduring hallmark of inclusive urban governance.
In June 2023, regular urban river transport along the Moscow River began operations, with community involvement extending to the naming of service elements. The first electric vessel received its christening name, Sinichka, a decision born from public input that demonstrated how civic engagement can shape even the aesthetic aspects of city life. Sobyanin noted that active citizens also contributed proposed names for streets, boulevards, squares, gardens, metro stations, and a digital assistant for urban transportation, highlighting the breadth of participatory influence across the city’s entire ecosystem.
Beyond naming, the initiative also translated into recognitions connected to city life, including contributions linked to the Moscow Zoo, Moskvarium, and VDNKh City Farm. Among the popular choices was the vote to name a baby panda at the Moscow Zoo, an example of how public engagement can weave into a city’s cultural fabric and strengthen residents’ emotional ties to local institutions. The mayor reminded audiences that Active Citizen has operated since 2014, with millions of participants contributing to its evolution and trajectory, signaling a sustained and expanding model of civic involvement. City authorities view this ongoing effort as a way to keep the urban agenda responsive to the people who experience it daily as residents navigate streets, transit, and public spaces.