Medvedev Plans to ‘Transform the Map of Russia’

The Russian government and the presidential administration are working on a project aimed at making changes to the territorial organization of the country. This project might be included as part of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s pre-election campaign, reports Vedomosti. 

The document on transforming the map of Russia says that the country’s current territorial structure is not perfect. 

“90% of Russian cities are small towns with a population of 100,000. The number of residents in these towns is not growing, and schools, universities, theaters and museums are practically absent. Developing such settlements is meaningless,” it is stated in the document.

Instead of developing these towns, it is proposed to create approximately 20 large urban agglomerations with populations of over 1 million people. This will happen in the areas between cities and will include creating a unified high-speed public transportation system, exporting products out of metropolitan centers, relocating people to the suburbs, and creating common commercial, educational and cultural spaces.