St. Petersburg, October 29, 2025 — At the International Municipal Forum of BRICS, a panel session titled «Human-Centered BRICS Cities: Urban Psychology for Sustainable Development» was held with the support of Moscow State University, the Moscow Government, and the intellectual club UrbanClub.

The main topic of discussion was the psychological and emotional aspects of urban life — how a modern metropolis affects a person’s inner state and how cities can become spaces of recovery rather than sources of stress.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 60% of residents of large cities regularly experience stress caused by the lifestyle in megacities. The forum became a platform where the topic of urban psychology received international recognition for the first time — as a field that unites urban planning, architecture, and psychology into an integrated system of human care.

«The world is changing rapidly — above all, technologically. But the faster progress advances, the more people need support and an additional source of emotional and psychological energy. If in the past a person was a resource for the city, today the city becomes a resource for the person — a source of inspiration and inner energy. This is the foundation of urban psychology — a new profession of the future», –– said Lilia Shchekina, founder of UrbanClub and head of the Urban Psychology section of the Russian Psychological Society.

The session featured speakers from Russia, South Africa, and Spain. Experts noted that the principles of urban psychology could become an important tool in building sustainable, human-centered cities in BRICS countries, which together are home to more than 45% of the world’s population.

«This new approach to urban development is impressive in its depth and timeliness. It connects technology and the human dimension — and this is exactly what cities around the world are striving for today. The principles of urban psychology presented in Russia will undoubtedly find application in other countries as well», –– said Luis Mariano Salaras López, director of the independent Spanish publication Otralectura.

Vyacheslav Manuilov, Deputy Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the City of Moscow, added that the topic of citizens’ emotional well-being is becoming part of the international agenda:

«The cities of the BRICS countries are going through similar stages of development. Urban psychology is a new language through which cities are learning to talk about the human being. Russia is taking an important step by offering this dialogue to the world».

The session became the first international event where the topic of emotional health and the quality of the urban environment was discussed at the level of municipal strategies of BRICS countries.

According to experts, this approach could become a model for integrating humanitarian factors into urban development policy on a global scale.

📍 Otralectura notes: the initiative to develop urban psychology opens a new chapter in the international urban agenda.

It is a step toward creating cities where technology and humanity evolve not in opposition, but in harmony.