Taking into account the opinion of the population in the development of a small town as a key settlement: the case of the town of Aldan, Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Within the framework of the spatial development program of the Russian Federation, decisions are being made on the formation of a system of key settlement. Their selection is carried out in accordance with the regulations. When forming programs for the socio-economic development of such settlements, the relevant mechanism is to take into account the subjective assessment of the population of the key settlement. The purpose of this article is to analyze a survey of residents of the urban settlement of Aldan in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and compare its results with key tasks of spatial development. This survey was conducted as part of a research project: “Identification of key features of key settlement of urban and rural settlements in the context of spatial development trends in the Sakha (Republic Yakutia), in September 2024. The questionnaire was developed so that respondents would assess the settlement in accordance with the priority areas of spatial development of the territories of the Russian Federation. The questions were collected in the appropriate thematic blocks. The residents gave an assessment of the directions of socio-economic development of the city. Aldan in accordance with the selected thematic blocks; the main factors ensuring a high quality of life are identified, according to which, in the opinion of the population, it is necessary to build program documents for the development of the settlement. The majority of respondents rated the current state of the economy as “satisfactory”, “rather positive”. The respondents acknowledge that the social activity of the residents is necessary for the further development of the settlement, but assess it as average and satisfactory. They also identified areas that, in the opinion of the population, really ensure the quality of life of people, really operate and work in the locality, and in accordance with which it is necessary to coordinate territorial development programs. Such surveys are an effective mechanism for the adoption of policy documents by government authorities when making decisions on the development of settlements, including those designated as reference ones. They make it possible to identify the problems of the existing situation and coordinate further development.

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