Vladimir KLIMANOV, ,
There are now about 1,120 Russian cities, and the urban share of the population is 75 percent. Traditionally, urban development issues fall within the competence of regional and municipal authorities. The Federal Government is also taking various actions in relation to urban development. Last years, this has been manifested in the following areas:
- legislative regulation of local self-government and its economic basis,
- citation of cities in federal strategic and spatial planning documents,
- individual development of cities that are the centers of mega-events,
- stimulating the formation of metropolitan areas and the implementation of large investment projects in them, e.g., reconstruction of city public transportation,
- federal support of some territories, including science cities, cities “closed” for military or nuclear activities, special economic zones, etc.,
- regulation of urban development activities, as well as actively improving the city environment,
- stimulating housing construction, such as through preferential mortgages for certain categories of citizens,
- initiatives to create large new cities in Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Those actions of the federal government received a new impetus under Covid-19 because local authorities had a lack of resources to response to the pandemic. In addition, amendments to the RF Constitution adopted in July 2020 necessitated changes in the structure of municipal governance. The local government reforms and re-centralization are being launched in 2022. According to the draft federal law, the merger process of municipalities should have a transitional period until 2028. The role of city governance will decrease, while regional and federal ones will increase.
The research conducted with the Russian Presidential Academy (RANEPA) financing made it possible to systematize the actions of federal authorities in urban development issues, including by correlating them with the content of the UN New Urban Agenda adopted in 2016.
Mots clés : Russia|city|local government|urban governance|municipal
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