A “My City” App Has Arrived in Nizhnekamsk
Etton Group has launched the My City urban IT platform, with Nizhnekamsk serving as its pilot site. Residents can use it not only to report potholes in their courtyards but also to plan tourist routes based on the weather and their mood.
My City joins a growing lineup of Russian Smart City solutions, including Rosatom’s Smart City platform and Moscow’s My Moscow. Etton Group’s platform is built on open-source technologies and runs on the city’s own infrastructure. It can be adapted to the needs of a specific municipality without rewriting the code from scratch, helping local governments reduce IT costs.
A Platform for Urban Well-Being
Etton has brought together information and services ranging from enrolling children in extracurricular activities to processing requests submitted to city authorities. Residents no longer need to move between scattered chats, property management company websites and municipal portals. The IT platform is planned for rollout in other cities as well.
The federal Smart City program run by Russia’s Ministry of Construction covers more than 240 municipalities. That represents a large pool of potential customers that are already engaged in urban digitalization. In 2025, Rosatom’s platform was already being used in 100 cities, offering more than 60 services. Moscow and St. Petersburg have their own large-scale digital ecosystems serving audiences of millions.
A City in Your Smartphone
The market appears ready for products like this. One indication is the growing popularity of My Nizhny Novgorod on the VKontakte social network, which is approaching 30,000 users. Developers continue to add new services. Since last year, for example, parents have been able to track when their children arrive for classes and when they leave school.
The I Live Here app, also built on VKontakte for St. Petersburg residents, is also gaining traction. The project has more than 500,000 users, who have access to 16 services organized into four blocks: City, Family, Housing and Utilities, and Leisure. The app, which has demonstrated its effectiveness, also operates in the Samara region.
Moscow’s My Moscow mobile app continues to expand. It has been used 273 million times since its launch. Muscovites can use the app for a wide range of everyday needs, from submitting utility meter readings to buying tickets for cultural events and requesting the removal of unwanted items.
A Few Taps Can Solve the Problem
At the end of 2024, the average IQ of Russian cities reached 61. That was 11 percent higher than in 2023 and 55 percent above the 2018 level, which serves as the baseline for the Smart City project. Russians show strong interest in the technological development of their cities. A poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center found that 92 percent believe such solutions should be deployed across Russia. For nine out of 10 respondents, meanwhile, a technologically advanced city is a place where routine issues can be handled with just a few taps on a smartphone.
Nizhnekamsk now has a similar platform for residents and visitors, and it has promising prospects, including because of its tourism module. My City acts as a guide, helping users build personalized routes based on whether children are joining them, the weather and the pace of the walk. Those are practical features for tourists exploring an unfamiliar city.
In 2024, the number of domestic trips in Russia increased by 10 percent, creating greater demand for digital tools that can help travelers navigate cities. The platform could attract more active users if local businesses such as cafes, museums and tour operators establish a presence on it.
Etton Group already has experience presenting its technologies in Kazakhstan and Turkey and is entering other EAEU markets with additional products. If My City can quickly adapt to international localization and security requirements, it could occupy a niche for affordable and effective digital solutions in the CIS countries.
In the past, every major city developed its own apps. Now there is an alternative: buying a ready-made platform. My City could become a practical digital tool for hundreds of Russian municipalities, particularly as the global market for technology solutions aimed at developing cities and territories continues to grow. It is currently valued at $2 trillion and is projected to reach $4 trillion by 2031.
