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Mashhad, Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Mashhad is the second-largest city in Iran (Islamic Republic of), located in the northeast region of the country. The city features historic architecture, bazaars, and museums, and it is also a centre for trade, industry, and transportation in the region.
groups
City population
3,372,000
person
Member since
2019
Mayor
Mayor of Mashhad Mr Mohammad Reza Kalaei
Vision
As a first step, Mashhad wants to create a city free of illiteracy in terms of reading and writing. The city created a tripartite memorandum based on the Great Endowment Project, in which free literacy education was provided to citizens between 10 and 49 years old. As a second step, Mashhad developed strategies to promote an inclusive education of 12 kinds of literacy, which include emotional, communicational, financial, media, educational, computer and IT, health, racial and ethnic, ecological, analytical, energy, and scientific. Mashhad wants to promote education for all age groups.
Policies, plan and implementation
Sustainability and health
The city focused on health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mashhad implemented health festivals, such as the Messenger of Hope Festival which focused on teaching methods to prevent coronavirus infection in older people. The city also offered training to public workers to use masks and conducted health protocols with citizens.
Equity and inclusion
The city developed a community centre under the 2020 project One less Slum, Hundred More Opportunities. In addition, Mashhad allocated incentive packages for the reconstruction of dysfunctional urban areas and inaugurated public spaces in low-income neighbourhoods.
Decent work and entrepreneurship
The city supports entrepreneurship and employment through the Mashhad Urban Innovation Factory project. This is a centre that aims to develop creative ideas and innovations to launch new products or services. The city provides start-ups with training funding, and other learning services to implement their business ideas.
Good practices
Mashhad Urban Innovation Factory
In collaboration with the local neighbourhood council, Mashhad Urban Innovation Factory has held 36 events since September 2021. These events have focused on addressing issues such as traffic, environmental health, accessibility for older people and people with disabilities, and promoting creativity for children. The events aim to find and solve problems by engaging responsible citizens.
Simap
The Simap application has been launched as a tool to encourage citizens to participate in the smart separation of waste. The app allows for the management of separated waste and citizens can request for the nearest waste truck to collect waste from their doorsteps. The application is easy to use and is available to citizens for free.