Key Settlements: Adjustment of Selection Criteria

Abstract

The article based on the analysis of regulatory documents and scientific sources examines the current situation in the field of organization of key settlements, identifies its shortcomings.In order to enhance the positive impact of the key settlements system on the socio-economic development of regions and municipalities of the Russian Federation, clarifications of the current criteria for their selection, a number of new criteria, areas for improving the system for calculating the assessment results, including the use of points and weights of criteria, as well as the introduction of several levels of key settlements with different support measures on this basis are proposed. At the same time the governments of the Russian Federation regions acquire real levers of influence on the process of allocation of key settlements by establishing the weights of criteria (or the number of points for each of them) within the limits specified in the federal regulatory documents.In addition, such areas of support as the creation of polycentric key settlements and assistance in moving there to the people of surrounding settlements are proposed.