Cities and Urban Agglomerations in the Federal Spatial Development Strategy of Russia: Innovations, Problems, and Prospects
https://doi.org/10.7868/S2658697526010037
Abstract
The main purpose of the article is the analysis of a Single list of core settlements as one of the main innovations and one of the main mechanisms for the implementation of the Spatial Development Strategy of Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 and with a forecast up to 2036. It is shown that the Single list of core settlements is largely based on the existing municipal structure of the country: in most subjects of the Russian Federation, not only the principle of “one urban/municipal district—one core settlement” is implemented, but also the administrative centers of municipalities are chosen as core settlements, which means the need to organize access to social services in core settlements for residents of the territories adjacent to them are precisely within the boundaries of municipalities. At the same time, regions have been identified that have moved away from this principle towards both a reduction (11 federal subjects) and an increase in the number of core settlements. It is also shown that more than 87% of Russian cities have received core settlement status, so the risks of underfunding under government policy relate primarily to rural settlements and urban-type settlements. The problems of the proposed classification of core settlements are indicated, including the lack of multifunctional core settlements, the inaccuracy of classifying core settlements as urban agglomerations, the lack of a hierarchy of core settlements of different population sizes and status in terms of providing services of varying complexity to the population. It is said that it is necessary to solve the problems of the delimitation of settlements, the importance of finding ways to economically develop service delivery centers and working out mechanisms for interaction between core settlements and adjacent territories.
Keywords
spatial development strategy,
cities,
urban agglomerations,
municipalities,
core settlements,
administrative centers,
legal regulation
Supporting agencies: The research is done under the grant of the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 23-18-00180 “Multivariaty of Determinants and Trends of Economic Dynamics of Russian Municipalities: Conceptualization, Identification and Typologization in the Interests of State Regulation of Spatial Development”) in the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
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Review
For citations:
Kuznetsova O.V. Cities and Urban Agglomerations in the Federal Spatial Development Strategy of Russia: Innovations, Problems, and Prospects. Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Seriya Geograficheskaya. 2026;90(1):33-43. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.7868/S2658697526010037
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