Published on: 2026-08-10
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the 11th forum “Development of Small Towns and Historic Settlements,” the winners of the competition for the best projects to create a comfortable urban environment were announced across three selection tracks for 2026. The results were summed up both within the XI All-Russian competition and in special categories – the fifth competition for municipalities of the Far Eastern Federal District and the first competition for historic and border subjects of the Russian Federation. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
“The improvement of public spaces is an important element in the development of regions. It changes the appearance of cities and improves people’s quality of life. The All-Russian competition for the best projects to create a comfortable urban environment has been a driver of transformation for the settlements in our country for eight years. The winners of the 11th All-Russian competition for projects to create a comfortable urban environment, the fifth competition for the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District, and the first competition for the reunited and border regions were 294 projects. This means that there will be even more modern, comfortable public spaces in our country where it is pleasant to spend time with family and loved ones. It is important that the process of improvement involves the residents themselves and the professional community. Thus, the competition allows for the creation of exactly those places that people primarily need. Overall, during the entire time the competition has been held, 1040 settlements have become winners, with 1903 projects selected, of which 1168 have been implemented to date.”The president has set an ambitious task – to improve the quality of the living environment by 30% by 2030, and the competition is an important component of successfully achieving this goal,” said Marat Khusnullin.
The winners of the 11th All-Russian contest for the best projects creating a comfortable urban environment included 215 projects, the fifth contest for subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District had 54 projects, and the first contest for historical and border regions had 25 projects. Among the winners are 99 parks, 53 embankments, 43 squares, and 99 streets and pedestrian zones.
A record number of applications were submitted for consideration – 582 from 82 regions. They underwent selection by experts in architecture, urban planning, economics, sociology, cultural heritage preservation, and archaeology. The winners were approved by the federal commission chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
“Over eight years, the all-Russian competition has become a powerful catalyst for local economies: it stimulates the attraction of extrabudgetary funds, develops project teams on the ground, and raises their level of professionalism and competence. But most importantly – they help reduce the outflow of population from small towns, strengthen the sense of involvement and patriotism, give a boost to tourism and local production. Among the key advantages of preparing such projects are the formation of an active civic position, the emergence of high-quality comprehensive solutions, the enhancement of management competencies in territorial development, the creation of interdepartmental teams, and the accumulation of a bank of initiatives supported by the population. At the same time, we consistently maintain a course for maximum engagement of people. Thus, since 2021, within the framework of the all-Russian online voting for improvement projects, over 84 million votes have been collected, of which 15.9 million were cast this year alone. By 2030, we need to implement more than 1,600 winning projects of the competition. These are ambitious goals, and the work continues,” said Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services Irek Faizullin.
The key objectives of the competition are the creation of modern comfortable public spaces with a vivid national character, the development of historical areas and the preservation of cultural heritage, and the establishment of a mechanism for direct citizen participation in addressing urban development issues.
Currently, settlements with a population of up to 300,000 people are allowed to participate, including key settlements and historical towns that are administrative centers of regions. This has significantly expanded the project’s geography and given an impetus to the development of even the most remote corners of the country.
In addition, according to the Government decree, a separate competition for improvement projects will be held from 2026 to 2027 for reunited and border regions. This is a necessary support measure for the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions for the restoration and development of infrastructure under challenging conditions.
The competition, initiated by the President, is conducted by the Ministry of Construction within the framework of the federal project “Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment,” which began as the party project “Urban Environment” of “United Russia” in 2017. Over the years of the federal project’s operation, more than 119,000 spaces have been improved. This work has contributed to the creation of more than 30,800 jobs and around 7,000 points of commercial activity.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.