Efremova Ekaterina A.

Anthropological optics suggests that the perception of urban space is determined primarily by culture. Yekaterinburg is a vibrant non-central political entity where the urban community has a semantic weight. Urban patriotism, characteristic of a modern resident of a megalopolis, is a transition from the language of rational reasoning (rights and obligations towards the territory) to the language of emotions, attachments, which is essentially irrational. The language of love for one's country and city is a new but global phenomenon. You can show your citizenship - to the country, to the city, and to the area - at the nearest intersection, as it was recently in Israel. And the example of the city of Providence in the USA shows that changing the infrastructure, building a bridge, literally and figuratively provides mobility and a higher level of human capital. The division into the center and the periphery that still exists is a significant factor in loyalty and the formation of positive attitudes. This scientific fact can be translated into a register of practice, basing the policy of urban loyalty management on this.

Avoiding the rhetoric of patriotism and the third mission, universities work with local businesses and influence the territory. As an economic agent, the university creates jobs and socializes vulnerable groups of students. By the very fact of decentralization, intervention in residential or industrial spaces, and on the outskirts of cities, educational institutions are changing the human capital of local residents and implementing regional policies. The smart environment, an attribute of universities, can become a source of change in urban partnerships. But the attitude towards openness, practical results of activities, and ambitions to become a center for socio-cultural development is resisted by those who adhere to the classical version of the university. There is a risk of excessive formalization if the third (or fourth, fifth) mission of the university - influencing society, working with the surrounding area - is formally designated, and this will entail a number of bureaucratic procedures. In the meantime, not only the university clinic, but also the ecological farm, vineyard and craft wine are conceptualized as possible forms of university local business.