PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF METHODOLOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS  FOR IDENTIFYING KEY SETTLEMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE EUROPEAN NORTH OF RUSSIA

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Irina A. Sekushina

Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (VolSC RAS), Vologda, Russia, sekushina.isekushina@yandex.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-4216-4850

 

Abstract. This article addresses the challenges associated with establishing a system of key settlements as one of the tools to ensure balanced spatial development of the country. In 2022, the Government of the Russian Federation approved methodological recommendations for classifying settlements as key ones, and corresponding lists were compiled in each region. The purpose of this article is to assess the practical applicability of these methodological recommendations as a mechanism for managing spatial development, using the regions of the European North of Russia as a case study. The study employs research methods such  as synthesis, generalization, statistical analysis, spatial analysis, and content analysis. The study is based on works by Russian  and international authors on spatial and regional economics, statistical data, and regulatory documents issued by public authorities. The research examines the role of key settlements in the socio-economic development of regions and tests the officially approved methodological recommendations in the European North of Russia. A list of small towns, semi-urban settlements, and villages that meet the specified criteria has been compiled. Based on a content analysis of the regulatory documents regarding the regions  of European North of Russia, the towns and settlements were identified that had been classified as key ones. It is observed that authorities often do not fully adhere to the official requirements outlined in the methodological recommendations, mainly due  to their general nature and the lack of consideration for regional features. Another issue lies in the absence of a hierarchy of key settlements. The novelty of this research is associated with providing an assessment of the practical applicability of the approved methodological recommendations for selecting key settlements. The results of the study have scientific value and practical applicability within relevant fields of study and can also be used by federal authorities and local governments when developing measures for the formation and development of a network of key settlements on the territory of the European North of Russia.

Keywords: key settlements, settlement system, socio-economic development, northern region, European North of Russia

Acknowledgments: this article was prepared as part of the research conducted at VolRC RAS, Project FMGZ-2022-0012 titled “Drivers and methods of sustainable socio-economic territorial development in the changing conditions of the external  and internal environments”.

For citation: Sekushina I. A. Practical application of methodological recommendations for identifying key settlements: A case study of the European North of Russia. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2023, no. 2, pp. 160–174. doi:10.37614/2220-02X.2.2023.80.011.

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