“We have paid particular attention to the connection between urban development of ITMO Highpark and the first residential area in the satellite city Yuzhny. The construction of first houses goes hand in hand with that of the innovation center and, above all, ITMO’s second campus. Students and staff will be able to live near the university when the campus is finished,” says Alexey Antonov, the Deputy CEO for Strategy of Gorod-Sputnik Yuzhny (Russian: satellite city Yuzhny), LLC.

The construction will cover 240,000 square meters out of the total 85.9 hectares adjacent to ITMO’s new campus – with 210,000 square meters for apartments. The area will be designed to house about 9,000 people, including the current population of the Lesnoye locality. The project also includes the construction of commercial and social infrastructure. 

“Not only will anyone who wishes to work or study at ITMO Highpark have no problem with housing but they will also live in a comfortable environment. The city will have a network of squares and boulevards for walking and cycling,” explains Alexey Antonov.

As noted by Alexey, the project's first stage and design have been recently approved by St. Petersburg’s Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture. Yet the project documentation is still in progress. The constructor plans to obtain a permit for building dwellings with a total area of 50,000 square meters by the end of 2022 and complete the first houses in 2024.