PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Abstract

The article deals with the assessment of the attractiveness of the cities of the Russian Federation for the population and changes in the existing system of settlement. A brief review of strategic planning documents and scientific works in this area is given. In the framework of the study the methods of grouping and comparative analysis are used. The results of the assessment show that in the vast majority of cases the growth of urban population is provided at the expense of the migration component on the background of the natural population decline. Most of the cities with a high level of this indicator are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the country. The territorial location of the cities and proximity to the key economic centers of the country have a significant impact. In absolute terms, the largest population growth was recorded in Balashikha, Krasnodar, Sochi and Tyumen. There is an increasing polarization in the development of the Russian Federation. Changes in the age structure of the country's population will contribute to an increase in the demographic burden in the near future. The issue of competition of cities for labor resources and, in a broader sense, for human capital becomes more acute. In this regard, it is necessary to develop a methodology for identifying the factors that increase the attractiveness of cities and assess their impact on the demographic and migration behavior of different population groups.