I work as a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation and as a Research Fellow at King’s College London. Before that, I spent over seven years at Zaha Hadid Architects, where I helped architects navigate the labyrinths of municipal governance and develop evidence-based solutions for projects across the globe — from the UK to China, and from Estonia to Saudi Arabia.
My name is Vera Kichanova. I am an urban economist and policy analyst exploring the cities of today and tomorrow. I see my mission in bridging the gap between urban planning theory and free-market policies. My interests range from the sharing economy and zoning laws to special jurisdictions and startup nations.
My background allows me to look at cities from different angles. At the age of 14, I began writing for a local newspaper — an experience that shaped my academic and professional interests, particularly my focus on local politics. While still an undergraduate student, I was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in Moscow, becoming one of the youngest elected officials — and the first ever elected libertarian — in Russia.
In 2013, I was honoured with the Democracy Award by the US National Endowment for Democracy and included in the “30 under 30” list of young leaders working for a democratic future. I represented the Russian liberty movement at international events, from South Korea to Iceland to Georgia, and my commentary has been published in The Telegraph, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Spiegel, CapX and FEE.org, among others.
As a councillor, I campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in municipal government and audited public spending on dozens of construction and housing projects. I also shared my experience through a blog and by training young activists across Russia — some of whom went on to run for local office themselves. My story has been told by The New York Times and in the book Generation Putin.
About me
bringing the gap between
— urban planning theory
& free-market policies
— urban planning theory
& free-market policies
One of the youngest
elected officials in Moscow
& the first ever elected libertatian in russia
elected officials in Moscow
& the first ever elected libertatian in russia
ABOUT ME
In 2013, I was honoured with the Democracy Award by the US National Endowment for Democracy and included in the “30 under 30” list of young leaders working for a democratic future. I represented the Russian liberty movement at international events, from South Korea to Iceland to Georgia, and my commentary has been published in The Telegraph, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Spiegel, CapX and FEE.org, among others.
My name is Vera Kichanova. I am an urban economist and policy analyst exploring the cities of today and tomorrow. My interests range from sharing economy and zoning laws to special jurisdictions and startup nations.
I work as a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation and as a Research Fellow at King’s College London. Before that, I spent over seven years at Zaha Hadid Architects, where I helped architects navigate the labyrinths of municipal governance and develop evidence-based solutions for projects across the globe — from the UK to China, and from Estonia to Saudi Arabia.
I work as a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation and as a Research Fellow at King’s College London. Before that, I spent over seven years at Zaha Hadid Architects, where I helped architects navigate the labyrinths of municipal governance and develop evidence-based solutions for projects across the globe — from the UK to China, and from Estonia to Saudi Arabia.
My background allows me to look at cities from different angles. At the age of 14, I began writing for a local newspaper — an experience that shaped my academic and professional interests, particularly my focus on local politics. While still an undergraduate student, I was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in Moscow, becoming one of the youngest elected officials — and the first ever elected libertarian — in Russia.
As a councillor, I campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in municipal government and audited public spending on dozens of construction and housing projects. I also shared my experience through a blog and by training young activists across Russia — some of whom went on to run for local office themselves. My story has been told by The New York Times and in the book Generation Putin.
As a councillor, I campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in municipal government and audited public spending on dozens of construction and housing projects. I also shared my experience through a blog and by training young activists across Russia — some of whom went on to run for local office themselves. My story has been told by The New York Times and in the book Generation Putin.
About ME
One of the youngest
elected officials in Moscow & the first ever elected libertarian in Russia
elected officials in Moscow & the first ever elected libertarian in Russia
bringing the gap between
urban planning theory
& free-market policies
urban planning theory
& free-market policies
In 2013, I was honoured with the Democracy Award by the US National Endowment for Democracy and included in the “30 under 30” list of young leaders working for a democratic future. I represented the Russian liberty movement at international events, from South Korea to Iceland to Georgia, and my commentary has been published in The Telegraph, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Spiegel, CapX and FEE.org, among others.
My name is Vera Kichanova. I am an urban economist and policy analyst exploring the cities of today and tomorrow. My interests range from sharing economy and zoning laws to special jurisdictions and startup nations.
I work as a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation and as a Research Fellow at King’s College London. Before that, I spent over seven years at Zaha Hadid Architects, where I helped architects navigate the labyrinths of municipal governance and develop evidence-based solutions for projects across the globe — from the UK to China, and from Estonia to Saudi Arabia.
I work as a Senior Economist at the Free Cities Foundation and as a Research Fellow at King’s College London. Before that, I spent over seven years at Zaha Hadid Architects, where I helped architects navigate the labyrinths of municipal governance and develop evidence-based solutions for projects across the globe — from the UK to China, and from Estonia to Saudi Arabia.
My background allows me to look at cities from different angles. At the age of 14, I began writing for a local newspaper — an experience that shaped my academic and professional interests, particularly my focus on local politics. While still an undergraduate student, I was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in Moscow, becoming one of the youngest elected officials — and the first ever elected libertarian — in Russia.
As a councillor, I campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in municipal government and audited public spending on dozens of construction and housing projects. I also shared my experience through a blog and by training young activists across Russia — some of whom went on to run for local office themselves. My story has been told by The New York Times and in the book Generation Putin.
As a councillor, I campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in municipal government and audited public spending on dozens of construction and housing projects. I also shared my experience through a blog and by training young activists across Russia — some of whom went on to run for local office themselves. My story has been told by The New York Times and in the book Generation Putin.
About ME
One of the youngest
elected officials in Moscow
& the first ever elected libertarian in Russia
elected officials in Moscow
& the first ever elected libertarian in Russia
bringing the gap between
urban planning theory
& free-market policies
urban planning theory
& free-market policies
I hold a PhD in Political Economy from King’s College London, a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Journalism from Moscow State University. I speak English, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, and some French. My husband, Peter Kaznacheev, is a development economist, energy policy expert, and pioneer of the post-Soviet liberty movement. We split our time between London and Dubai and are raising our daughter, Carina, as a global citizen.
Education & Personal Life
Promoting Liberty at Home
I have always recognised the importance of economic education in promoting the ideas of liberty, which is why I’ve been involved in multiple educational initiatives across Europe. Over a decade ago, I co-founded the Moscow-based Adam Smith Forum — an annual conference that has since evolved into the leading platform for discussing market reforms in the post-Soviet world.
ACADEMIC LIFE
My interest in local government led me to the University Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, and later to the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society at King’s College London. While in Oxford, I served as President of the Oxford Hayek Society, a student group founded in 1983 to advance social and economic freedom on campus. In 2020, I had the honour of becoming a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, an international network of scholars founded by Nobel laureate F. A. Hayek.
After the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, I eagerly accepted an offer from Atlas Network to work with a Kyiv-based think tank advocating market reforms — a cause especially meaningful to me as someone of Ukrainian descent. In addition to my work with Atlas, I collaborated with other free-market think tanks across Europe, including the Adam Smith Institute (UK), Istituto Bruno Leoni (Italy), the Juan de Mariana Institute (Spain), and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Germany), among others.
Promoting Liberty Worldwide
