For citation:
Suvorova, A. V. (2025). Criteria for Typologizing Municipal Entities in Strategic Regional Planning. AlterEconomics, 22(4), 666–682. https://doi.org/10.31063/AlterEconomics/2025.22-4.6
Abstract:
Typologization of municipal entities plays an important role in territorial development because effective planning requires a structured approach to classifying municipalities. This study examines practical approaches to classifying municipalities through an analysis of regional socio-economic development strategies. Using concepts from regional economics and public administration and general analytical methods, the author reviews strategies from 82 Russian regions. Fifty-seven strategies distinguish specific types of municipalities whose development parameters receive particular attention. The most common criteria include a municipality’s position in the settlement system, its economic development prospects, its functional role, and the presence of risks such as a single-industry structure or border location. Thirty strategies propose ways to group municipalities, with twenty relying on economic zoning. Other considerations include the scale of the territorial unit, development potential and challenges, its position in the region’s social or economic system, localization characteristics and strategic importance. The study’s contribution to the field lies in highlighting the distinctive approach to municipal typology presented in strategic planning documents. This approach extends existing classification methods by broadening the set of criteria and by incorporating development prospects and the future role of municipalities in the regional system. The article may be useful for specialists in regional economics, public administration and territorial development.
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