Voronezh is located in the central part of European Russia, in the Central Russian Upland on the Don and the Voronezh Rivers. It is a hub for major motorways and railway lines.
Voronezh is 587 km from Moscow.
The city covers about 600 sq km and has a population of approximately one million.
High-tech and labour intensive branches of mechanical engineering and metal-working manufacturing as well as chemical and petrochemical, food and light industries form the industrial potential of the city.
The city has spawned about 1,500 industrial plants (including 150 large producers). There are over 150 incorporated companies with foreign capital.
The 2009-2011 plan of social and economic development of the city provides for 62 projects with an overall value of 22,131.3 million roubles.
The main economic development goals up to 2011 are competitive products development and communications services improvement.
Major investment projects include SSJ-100, An-148 and Il-112 aircraft production (OAO VASO, Voronezh Aircraft Manufacturing Company, a JSC), the process to transfer polybutadiene rubber production to a neodymium catalyst system and construction of thermoplastic elastomer and synthetic latex production plants (OAO Voronezhsintezkauchuk, a JSC).
Some projects by Votek Mobile Network and EDN Sovintel LLC, initiated earlier, will be further developed between 2009 and 2011. Two development projects include "Enhancing Mobile Penetration in the Voronezh Region" and "Constructing an Optical Network Internet Access in Every House."
The main strategic civic goals for the city's social development include 50 projects of infrastructure improvement at an estimated cost of 9,648 million roubles.
One of the main problems concerning the local healthcare system is the lack of the latest equipment at Voronezh medical and preventive treatment institutions. According to the plan, 620.3 million roubles will be allocated for this purpose.
The city is also facing a potable water shortage of nearly 150,000 cubic meters a day.
One possible way to resolve the water supply issue is to improve the water pumping capacity at Station No. 4 to 100,000 cubic meters a day.
Construction of Station No. 4 (VPS-4) is already underway; this year's city budget allocates 27.5 million roubles to continue the construction. To secure a consistent water supply to the city's left bank another pumping station, VPS-21, is needed, with an estimated capacity of 45, 000 cubic meters a day. The plan allocates 799.7 million roubles for this project.
Personal vehicles provide the most common form of local transportation services - over 90%. Shuttle vans constitute the basis of the local transit motor vehicle fleet. They are used for about 85% of the public transit. Most passenger vehicles are showing their age.
In 2009 the federal authorities allocated 102.4 million roubles to Voronezh as part of a vehicle fleet renovation programme, allowing it to purchase 23 new trolleybuses and 18 buses.
A further purchase of 50 trolleybuses and 129 buses is planned for 2010-2011.