Fourth All-Russian Roundtable on “Ecophilosophy in Designing the Noospheric City” Held

On May 16, 2025, the Volzhsky branch of Volgograd State University hosted the Fourth All-Russian Roundtable (with international participation) titled “Ecophilosophy in Designing the Noospheric City.”

The event brought together leading Russian and international scholars, regional government officials, experts in the creative industries, graduate students, and university students. Participants discussed key issues of sustainable development and prospects for shaping the cities of the future.
The roundtable was organized by the Department of History and Philosophy of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and the Volzhsky branch of Volgograd State University.
Opening the plenary session, Doctor of Economics and Professor M.M. Guzev highlighted the symbolic nature of the venue:

“Volzhsky was originally conceived as a noospheric ‘City of the Sun’—a space for the harmonious coexistence of industry, ecology, and society. Today, the transition to a noospheric model, where humans are not merely consumers but creators of the future, is more vital than ever.”
Professor Eleonora Vladilenovna Barkova, Doctor of Philosophy at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Chair of the Organizing Committee and moderator of the roundtable, emphasized: “The noospheric city is not a utopia but a project of the future already being realized today.” Her presentation was titled “The Philosophy of Ecoregionalism in Designing the Multidimensional Space of the Noospheric City.”

Sofia Ilyina, Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Moscow Center for International Cooperation and a member of the Commission on Legal Regulation of the Non-Profit Sector at the Moscow branch of the Russian Lawyers Association, delivered a report titled “Prospects for the Development of Moscow as a Noospheric City: Ecophilosophical Methodology in Urban Planning and Vectors of International Cooperation.” In her speech, she highlighted the role of legal and institutional mechanisms in shaping a sustainable urban environment, presented compelling case studies, and underscored the importance of international partnerships in advancing noospheric initiatives in global cities.

The discussion also paid special attention to the role of education in fostering ecologically oriented thinking. It was noted that integrating ecophilosophical approaches into educational frameworks is essential for preparing specialists capable of implementing noospheric initiatives in urban practice.

The roundtable has established itself as a respected intellectual and creative platform, contributing to the development of contemporary urboecological strategies relevant to regional governance and the creative economy. At its core are ecophilosophical models designed to serve as the foundation for cities that harmonize humanistic-technological progress with ecological sustainability.

Participants examined pressing issues in urban development through the lens of an ecophilosophical methodology focused on the long-term goals of sustainable development.