Background

The game took place on 4 and 9 December 2009 in Orenburg. The participants (representatives of the local authorities, the business community, European experts, students) worked on development strategies for some Orenburg districts. The game was organised by the British Council in partnership with ‘The Association of the President’s Programme Graduates’ and the company ‘Elements of Culture’ company, with support from Orenburg regional government and the city administration.

Objectives

The purpose of the game was to work on concepts for developing the institutions mentioned below, and as a result, for the whole city.

The steps are as follows:
- to identify institutes of development;
- to attract investors to stimulate the process;
- to devise a system of sustainable development for Orenburg;
- to attract high demand to stimulate a new type of production.

Winning idea

‘Architect-tonic’ team

The team focused on how to reorganise the different districts of Orenburg:

Centre (Sovetskaya Street, Europe-Asia Bridge):
Changing the image of the district: landscape design and lighting solutions, small forms of landscape design, benches, exhibitions, galleries, demonstrations of cultural values and handicraft products

Zauralnaya Grove:
Activities for solving the ecological problems of the district:
1) project for volunteers: ‘Eco-patrol’ - a clean and tidy grove, forest clearance, promoting a healthy way of life and eco-activities
2) ‘Remember’ - commemoration of political prisoners held in Orenburg, arranging a memorial area and park around it, providing information
3) festivals and promotion of subcultures: the ‘Sub-cultural Revolution’
4) leisure and entertainment
5) sports

Big Glade
Transforming the glade: decorating trees with lights, lanterns, benches, lighting constructions, laser shows. Activities to be led:
1)  ‘Creative rally: silk road’ festival (once a year, in different cities, following the silk road: St. Petersburg, Kazan, Orenburg, Aktobe, Astana)
2) Orenburg – the capital of design 2011. 

‘Europe-Asia’ stele:
Creating an interactive museum ‘Back to the Future’:
1)    Innovations in IT design
2)    Demonstration of historical events
3)    Presentation of new infrastructure projects in spatial development
4)    Offering opportunities for participants in creative and IT groups to take part in making promotional videos, promo-projects, the design service of business events, presentations of architectural projects and business analysis.

 Juzhnyj Village (partly):
‘Orenburg City Project’ – creating a business centre with the involvement of investment, seeking big infrastructure solutions.

Winning ideas from the other teams

‘FISH-ka’ team

Creating educational and cultural centres on the underground floors of Krushchovkas. The free areas would be used for:
1)    excursions
2)    workshops
3)    workshop for representatives of intellectuals and creative people

‘Open group’ team

Creating a regional centre (650,000 inhabitants)
1)    Forming a united community of professionals to improve their skills and create schemes for the exchange of cultural and administrative experience
2)    Design of spatial development in Orenburg
3)    Creating a business incubator
4)    Creating a business centre with involvement of local residents

‘Scythian’ team

Reorganisation of the ‘outlying communities’ of Orenburg

1) Developing tourism is the most promising strategy for improving the image of the region. The ‘Spiritual Ring of Orenburg” has the most potential. It will be supported by the local authorities, which control the cultural sites in the city and its regions, and also by the Russian orthodox church
2) Using a recording studio as a karaoke centre
3) Recording Russian folk-songs sung by clients, making discs of these songs and giving them to clients as presents
4) Workshops on different types of handicraft (knitting of Orenburg kerchiefs)
5) Souvenirs with symbols of the project
6) Business communication centre (fax, telephone, Internet, guide with a car)

‘TOP’ team

The participants worked on the theory of the responsible consumer (TRU) over the area of 800 square kilometres. TRU enables the formation of clusters for the sale of various goods and services, according to ecological, aesthetic and other standards (e.g.: the sale of eco-goods produced no less than 300km from the city, or of cosmetics not tested on animals; a fitness club, eco-pub etc).