The Federal Agency for Construction and Housing and Communal Services - "Rosstroy" - holds an annual competition for the most comfortable city in Russia. Since 2010, all municipalities of the Russian Federation can take part in it. Holding such a competition among the cities of the country is a great way for the heads of municipalities to raise the rating of their region, improve their financial condition and attract investment influences. Every year, among the winners, all new cities are identified that have not previously appeared on the list. This fact cannot but rejoice. So which cities in Russia are the most comfortable? We will learn about everything in order.
The essence and goals of the contest
Any number of cities and towns take part in the competition. Among the main goals are the following:
- Reveal the most comfortable cities in Russia.
- Organize and motivate the work of municipalities to improve settlements.
Thus, the competition should eventually positively affect not only the appearance of settlements, but also teach municipal authorities to work without loss inareas of life support of the population.
Until February 1, annually, documents from the heads of cities and urban-type settlements are submitted to the commission's court. This is a large list of various assessments, information on the implementation of state programs, improvement reports. In February, members of the commission study these materials and check them. Based on its results, the most comfortable city in Russia will be announced.
Materials provided by municipalities for commission
In essence, these materials and reports serve as a kind of selection criterion for the winners, and each item is very important for the city that wants to receive the honorary title "The most comfortable city in Russia".
Participants fight among themselves according to the following positions:
- Performing certain volumes of housing construction and major repairs of the housing stock.
- Performance of work on the improvement of the housing stock, which include gasification, connecting houses to water supply, etc.
- The level of socio-economic development of the city, as well as the implementation of state programs in this area.
- Performing construction and maintenance of roads, sidewalks, sewer systems, as well as providing residents with convenient parking.
- The level of landscaping of the settlement and the amount of work carried out in this direction.
- The state of municipal public transport and the level of service to residents.
- The level of reduction in volumes of previously unfinishedconstruction.
- Preservation of the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the city.
- Timely preparation of heating systems for winter.
- Ensuring the environmental and sanitary safety of the city.
- Artistic expressiveness of urban development, assessment of cosmetic repairs of building facades.
According to the proposed criteria, the commission should determine the most comfortable cities in Russia at the end of the year. In the event that the materials are not provided by February 1, participation in the competition is not possible.
Composition of the Commission
Experts in various fields of activity meet annually in the commission. It consists of fifteen people who are approved by the State Committee for Housing and Construction Policy. Meetings are held in the presence of 2/3 of the commission, a protocol is created in which a decision is made.
Members of the meeting should be specialists in such areas as architecture, ecology, environmental protection, road safety, epidemiology, labor protection, housing and communal services. The commission also includes representatives of local governments.
Winner selection
According to the criteria described above, the commission compiles a complete list of the most comfortable cities in Russia. Winners are determined in three main categories:
- 1 category - these are large cities that are the administrative centers of the subjects of the country;
- 2 category are cities withover 100 thousand people;
- 3 category - these are cities with a population of up to 100 thousand people.
Summarizes the results of the year and announces the winner in category 1 by the government of the country, and in the other two categories by the State Committee.
According to these data, news and appraisal agencies rank the most comfortable cities in Russia. Every year this list changes, more and more new settlements are added there, and this cannot but rejoice. Russians want to see their cities flourishing, clean, and roads absolutely safe. Not all residents today can boast of the prosperity and growth of their city. The main problems are the condition of roads, housing stock, low rates of housing construction, and corruption at the top. The solution of these issues generally depends on the heads of municipalities.
Prizes for the winners
The most comfortable cities in Russia not only receive a prestigious status, but are also awarded government diplomas. Also, a large cash prize is established for each category for prizes.
For first place:
- In the 1st category - 20 million rubles.
- 2 and 3 categories - 15 million rubles each.
For second place:
- In the 1st category - 15 million rubles.
- In the 2nd category - 10 million rubles.
- In the 3rd category - 7 million rubles.
For 3rd place:
- In the 1st category - 10 million rubles.
- In 2categories - 5 million rubles.
- In the 3rd category - 3 million rubles.
These amounts are valid for 2013 and vary depending on the economic situation in general throughout the country. These prize money are pre-funded in the federal budget.
To get into the top of the most comfortable cities in Russia is not only prestigious, but also profitable. City authorities get an excellent opportunity to improve the position of the city and receive bonuses. You can manage money only in the following way: at least 90% of the bonus should be spent on the development of the city economy, up to 10% of the amount received can be spent on encouraging employees of city enterprises and institutions that have achieved success and made a significant contribution to the improvement of the city. The spending of these funds is closely monitored.
Who is on the list of the past year?
Since the winners of 2015 will be announced this fall, let's look at the rating of the most comfortable cities in Russia for 2014. The government headed by D. A. Medvedev announced the winners in November last year. For the delegations, a special awards ceremony was held with the presentation of memorable prizes. So which cities are the most comfortable at the beginning of 2015?
The winners in five categories were announced in the contest. The most prestigious among them is the first. In it, the places were distributed in this way:
1 place - Krasnodar.
2nd place - Ulyanovsk and Barnaul.
3rd place - Tula and Kaluga.
In the second category, places were distributedamong the following cities:
1 place - Engels (Saratov region).
2nd place - Oktyabrsky (Bashkiria).
3rd place - Almetyevsk (Tatarstan).
There were more winners among the cities of the third category:
1 place - Mamadysh (Tatarstan).
2nd place - Rtishchevo (Saratov region), Tuimazy (Bashkiria) and Medvedevo (Mari El).
3rd place - Sukhinichi (Kaluga region) and Aznakayevo (Tatarstan).
Among the villages, Varna, Askarovo, Kundyshskoye, High Mountain, Khvastovichi and others were recognized as the best.
Cities-winners of previous years
To create a general list of the 10 most comfortable cities in Russia, you need to study the winners for the entire duration of the competition. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account those settlements that have been awarded prizes several times, especially the first ones.
As a result, we get the following table: "Top most comfortable cities in Russia".
| Location | City |
| 1 | Khabarovsk |
| 2 | Saransk |
| 3 | Kaluga |
| 4 | Angarsk |
| 5 | Makhachkala |
| 6 | Novosibirsk |
| 7 | Belgorod |
| 8 | Cheboksary |
| 9 | Novorossiysk |
| 10 | October |
The rating of the most comfortable cities in Russia includes the cities of the firstand the second category. I would also like to mention the cities of Almetyevsk, Ulyanovsk, Tyumen, Krasnoyarsk. All of them have repeatedly become winners of this all-Russian competition.
Do not forget about those settlements that received prizes in the third and fourth categories. Among them I would like to highlight the following: Gelendzhik, Stroitel (Belgorod region), Mamadysh (Tatarstan), Leninogorsk, Dmitrov, Gorodets and others.
List of winners and the right to host sporting events in the country
In 2018 Russia will host the World Cup. This is a prestigious event. After the successful holding of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, guests in 2018 will expect the same high level from us.
Visitors will pay attention not only to the beauty and convenience of the stadiums, but also to the appearance of the settlements that are honored to host matches. There are eleven cities on this list. Among them there are those that are included in the complete list of the most comfortable cities in Russia. For example, the capital of Mordovia is Saransk. One of the most beautiful cities in Russia will host matches at the Mordovia Arena stadium, which will be commissioned next year. The stadium's capacity is 45,000 people. Saransk is a friendly, very interesting city, it rightfully occupies a place in the top 5 most comfortable cities in Russia.
A few words about Khabarovsk and Kaluga
Khabarovsk is a green city. There are many parks, squares with fountains and sculptures. The authorities pay special attention to the cleanliness and arrangement of pedestrian areas. That is why the city on the banks of the Amur, so remote from the center,most often became the winner of the prestigious competition "The most comfortable city in Russia".
Living conditions, housing, environmental security - all this serves to benefit the growth of the city's population. If in 2010 it was 577,441 people, then at the beginning of 2016 this figure increased to 610,611 people. Of course, the well-being of the settlement directly affects this indicator.
Kaluga is an ancient city. Here, much attention is paid by the authorities to the problem of preserving historical heritage. Among the cultural monuments, I would especially like to highlight the Korobov Stone Chambers, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Stone Bridge, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Gostiny Dvor, the Trinity Cathedral, the Ensemble of Offices and others.
Bim Black Ear.
Municipal authorities from year to year do a great job of improving, which is why, along with Khabarovsk and Saransk, Kaluga is included in the top "Five most comfortable cities in Russia".
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the competition, which identifies well-maintained settlements throughout Russia, is an excellent event that gives hope that city authorities and managers in villages will finally begin to show themselves in this direction. Receiptgovernment award is a great honor.
It's not bad that in order to win the competition it is important to excel in various fields of activity, not to spend two or three months at work, but to build up experience over the years. As a great example, you can pay attention to those settlements that are marked in the list of the best. Among them there are not only cities of resort areas, warm climate, but also those located in the middle lane and in the north.
Residents of every city, town or village dream of making their lives better. This concerns not only the economic component, but also the condition of roads and sidewalks, the provision of the population with polyclinics and kindergartens, the repair of housing stock, the provision of residents with gas, drinking water and proper maintenance. All this is in the power of the mayor and his direct subordinates.
Today, much attention has been paid to such an important factor as the harmony of the residential development of the settlement. The times when chaotic construction is carried out everywhere, when the design of the building is not agreed in advance with the authorities, is gradually fading into the past. The appearance of cities began to concern the Russian government. All this is no accident. Depending on the relief, as well as on the cultural appearance, high-rise buildings should be built in a single style. I would like to believe that soon the authorities will take up the cultural heritage of the country. Over the past twenty years, a huge number of palace complexes, ancient estates and parks have fallen into disrepair, many of them have been abandoned ordemolished for commercial construction. In Moscow alone, one can count dozens of such facts, often forcing residents to take part in protests. Unfortunately, most of them ended up with nothing. And how many stories like this all over the country!
We hope that there will be more and more winners of the contest in various categories every year.
