Mikhail Mishustin takes part in the National Forum for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements

The Prime Minister toured the exhibition and delivered his remarks at the forum's plenary session.

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 11^th 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 11^th 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 11^th 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.

The Head of State has issued an instruction to substantially improve the quality of the living environment therein. This is a task of strategic importance, as nearly three-quarters of our citizens reside in these areas, and each day, rural residents travel to them - to outpatient clinics and hospitals, colleges, and cultural and sporting institutions.

For each of these towns and settlements, development programmes have been approved. It is essential to strengthen their connectivity with neighbouring territories, primarily through the expansion of transport capacity.

The advancement of core communities is progressing, inter alia, on the basis of master plans that were developed last year. We are implementing them, particularly in dozens of towns and settlements across the Far Eastern Federal District and in the Arctic. During working trips around the country, we are able to witness first-hand how they are gradually transforming and elevating the standard of living.

To renovate the housing stock, improve public spaces, expand and modernise infrastructure, and enhance the living conditions of our people, the Government employs a broad range of tools. Among these is the mechanism for the integrated development of territories, which addresses virtually all of these objectives.

This mechanism holds great potential. Last year, the President issued an instruction to allocate the requisite funding within the federal budget to support a number of constituent entities of the Federation in implementing Integrated Development of Territories projects. Through this approach, kindergartens, schools, roads, utilities infrastructure and, indeed, beautiful, modern, comfortable residential buildings are now being constructed.

Alongside the expansion of infrastructure and the enhancement of urban comfort, serious attention must be directed towards the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Today, we are actively integrating historic buildings into contemporary life. In this regard, it is absolutely imperative to proceed comprehensively - working not only with individual monuments, but also with entire streets, squares, and neighbourhoods, which together shape a town's cultural identity.

It is fundamentally important that, when evaluating applications for participation in the All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment, the historical context of project proposals continues to be duly taken into account, especially given that mechanisms for engaging with such sites, legal instruments, successful restoration practices, and the subsequent reintroduction of these buildings into economic circulation are already in place.

This also pertains to the preservation of the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland. Last year, at an exhibition, participants in the Youth and the Urban Environment initiative unveiled an interactive Heroes' Map. We discussed the possibility of this serving as a foundation for future memorials and street names. Over the past year, young people have developed this idea, and today they have proposed the creation of public spaces designed to recount both the events themselves and the stories of those who, throughout history, have defended the interests of our Motherland, just as they are doing now during the special military operation. These will be venues where meetings, excursions, and educational and commemorative events will take place. Their chief purpose is to foster a living continuity between generations.

This forum is of immense significance for the residents of small towns and settlements. It is here that the results of the All-Russian Competition for the Best Projects for Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment are customarily announced. The victorious teams are awarded grants, making it possible to realise such remarkable ideas as, for instance, the restoration of the garden of the distinguished physician and scientist Alexei Saleyev in the town of Rodniki, the Ivanovo Region. Or, in the settlement of Chegdomyn, the Khabarovsk Territory, at the initiative of local residents, the Gold of Umalta park is being established, dedicated to the history of gold mining in the region.

In Nevinnomyssk, the Stavropol Territory, the Chemists' Park is under construction. Local residents have chosen to commemorate the town's industrial heritage, where the chemical industry has historically flourished.

A particularly noteworthy project, Peace Square, is being realised in the settlement of Tiksi, in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). This will take the form of a heated pavilion - a space where residents and visitors alike can comfortably spend time, socialise, and participate in events, regardless of the weather outside.

The republic boasts no shortage of talented young people who are professionally involved in the improvement of public spaces and in the development of master plans and design codes for the settlements within their region.

Quite recently, during a working visit to Yakutsk, we encountered the young architects of the Nomado bureau. They travel throughout Yakutia, studying residents' daily routes and the distinctive features of the local landscape, creating projects that -organically, if you will - harmonise with the surrounding environment, combining functionality with reverence for traditions and for their homeland.

Friends, the winners of the 11th national competition, the fifth competition among Far Eastern cities, and the first competition among the reunified and border regions will be announced shortly. Let me remind you that last year during the forum, we decided to hold a dedicated competition for them. This decision has substantially changed the quality of submitted initiatives and improved the level of teams' preparation. We have just reviewed the projects during the exhibition and discussed them at length.

Our priority now is to ensure an equally high quality of their implementation. New spaces there and elsewhere in the country must be as comfortable. First and foremost, this requires building effective cooperation between the Ministry of Construction and regional officials, public organisations and experts.

Some very strong teams have emerged in small towns since the launch of this competition. While previously foreign architects used to be largely involved, now our own creators prevail, proving they can design upstanding high-quality projects. They are changing the face of the country from Kaliningrad to Magadan. They have realised some original concepts, gained valuable experience and, importantly, are happy to share this experience with others on various platforms. They establish professional communities, hold interregional forums and build a base of best solutions. This sort of transparency will certainly help many gain confidence and fulfill a project for their own cities, contributing to their progress.

This sort of cooperation - based on local initiatives, professional expertise and state support - opens up further development opportunities for our cities and towns.

Colleagues, friends,

Yesterday, our country marked Construction Worker's Day. It is thanks to you that millions of square metres of comfortable housing is built in Russia, as well as thousands of kilometres of safe roads, modern education institutions and healthcare facilities, cozy parks, beautiful streets, high-tech enterprises and power plants.

I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to everyone in this industry. It holds significance to all of our country residents. I want to express my special appreciation for the professionals who are restoring infrastructure in the new regions under most challenging conditions.

I want to say words of gratitude to all construction workers for their hard work in this demanding sector. Friends, the construction industry marks 70 years this year. This holiday coincides with Marat Khusnullin's own big birthday. I am talking about the date, not the age. He is a professional whose results are evident in every Russian region.

Mr Khusnullin, please accept my most sincere greetings. I wish you good health, infinite energy and dedication to your cause, more success in your work for the benefit of our country, and happiness in your family.

Thank you to all forum participants. Friends, you serve a common cause for every region, which means you serve the entire country. Together, we will continue, preserving traditions and creating our future.

I wish you engaging discussions and productive work.