The Prime Minister toured the exhibition and delivered his remarks at the forum’s plenary session.
Mikhail Mishustin delivers remarks during the plenary session of the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum. With Governor of the Kursk Region Alexander Khinshtein and Marat Khusnullin
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum. With DOM.RF Director General Vitaly Mutko and Marat Khusnullin
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin visiting the exhibition at the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin delivers remarks during the plenary session of the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
Mikhail Mishustin delivers remarks during the plenary session of the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements forum
The National Forum for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements operates as a leading intersectoral platform for presenting best practices in territorial development and improvement, sustainable development, introducing the latest solutions in urban design and the regulations.
Moscow is hosting the 2026 forum from 8 to 10 August. This year, the highlights for this event include the plenary session and award ceremonies as part of the 11th All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment, the Fifth National Contest for Regions from the Far Eastern Federal District, as well as the first-ever contest for reunited and border regions.
Over the past years, Russia has developed a far-reaching framework for facilitating urban and rural development. There is a federal project titled Creating a People-Friendly Urban Environment, a national voting contest for choosing the best development projects, and the All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment. Taken together, they cover the overarching mission in all its aspects, from empowering people to choose priority spaces to conceiving projects, holding tenders and carrying them out.
The framework provides for renovating and upgrading parks, squares, embankments and streets, while also reinforcing local communities, improving the quality of life for families and creating locations capable of generating foot traffic and creating investment opportunities. That said, there is an even broader objective which consists of relying on thousands of specific projects to create an upgraded modern environment blending the unique local identity with Russia’s national values. In fact, the 11th National Forum for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements is expected to serve as a platform for promoting territorial development and improvement as a tool for consolidating national unity, preserving the population and strengthening municipal governance while also enhancing national cohesion and connectivity.
There will also be the first-ever award ceremony in 2026 as part of the national contest on creating a people-friendly urban environment in municipalities located in specific Russian regions: the Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics.
The forum’s agenda also includes the Youth and Urban Environment programme. Carried out at the Moscow University of Humanities and Technology – Moscow Institute of Architecture and Construction, it will bring together 350 young state and municipal officials from various Russian regions, who are taking part in carrying out the Creating a People-Friendly Urban Environment federal project. This initiative includes expert discussions, lectures, workshops, networking events, as well as meetings with the leading experts in urban development.
The forum’s main topic consists of using urban development projects to preserve the unique identity of every location while also consolidating national unity and creating spaces offering families an enabling environment and having a positive bearing on the demographic situation and the economy, demonstrating cultural diversity and ensuring that the country operates as a single historical space and represents a whole in terms of its civic values.
The Ministry of Construction holds the 11th National Forum for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements in cooperation with the Government of Moscow and DOM.RF development institution.
Mikhail Mishustin’s remarks:
Good afternoon, friends and colleagues.
I am pleased to welcome you to the National Forum for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements.
This year, we are gathering at the Rossiya National Centre, which has become a meeting point for proactive individuals and professionals from across our vast country. We are here to discuss ideas and achievements, share experiences, and explore the potential of our regions – each with its own distinct character, traditions, and history. Together, they form Russia – beautiful, vast, strong, and united.
The President has declared this year the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, underscoring the importance of the culture, customs, and languages of every distinct group. This diversity, and our commitment to preserving it, is the very foundation of the ethnic policy of our state. That is why we must take particular care to protect the unique identity of our cities and towns, while ensuring a high quality of life for their residents.
We are carrying out this work primarily through a dedicated federal project. Since its launch, approximately 120,000 public spaces have been improved. In every region, courtyards, playgrounds, sports fields, embankments, central squares, and parks are being developed – places where residents and visitors can spend their leisure time, host celebrations, and take part in cultural and social activities. These projects give people more opportunities to come together, socialise, and strengthen neighbourly ties.
Improvement programmes are among the most popular with citizens. People choose the locations themselves, discuss ideas, and later evaluate the results.
The main vehicle for this is the nationwide vote, in which millions take part every year. The sixth such vote was held recently. Nearly 16 million residents from almost 3,000 built-up areas – including both strategic cities and smaller communities with populations of under 20,000 – chose from approximately 7,000 projects. Work on the selected projects will begin next year. As we discussed at today’s exhibition, these projects largely include local parks with playgrounds, recreational areas, sports facilities, and pedestrian routes where everyone can comfortably spend their free time.
Examples include the Northern Lights central park in Yugorsk, the Dinopark in Sharypovo in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and youth parks in Gubkinsky in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area and Sarapul in Udmurtia.
The highest levels of engagement are seen in district centres and rural areas, where residents demonstrate a strong attachment to their hometowns and a clear desire to make them even better and more attractive. Such active involvement in the future of one’s city or community is a very important indicator of public trust in the authorities.
After all, these improvements are not merely cosmetic. Quality of life rises, business activity increases, and new jobs are created – more than 30,000 since the federal project began.
As the President has noted, support for 2,160 anchor communities should contribute to the comprehensive development and improvement of our country. Together with the largest megacities, these towns and cities are called upon to strengthen the economic and infrastructural backbone of Russia.
More to be posted soon…
