Abstract: The article provides a general overview of the definition of a city in the legal aspect of urban development. The relevance of the study is due to the lack of a generally accepted legally fixed definition of a city at the federal level, the variety of interpretations of this concept at the regional level and the identified cases of inconsistency of administrative boundaries with real urban boundaries. This leads to the fact that the established categories of settlements are often a reflection of administrative management, rather than the real spatial structure; there is no clear understanding of the degree of real urbanization of Russia and the number of cities in it. The study examines cases of inconsistency between the administrative boundaries of cities and their actual spatial characteristics. The object of the study is the definition of the city, the subject of the study is the representation of the concept of the city in the legislation regulating urban development.The article analyzes the upper-level regulations, laws on the administrative and territorial structure of various subjects of the Russian Federation, and statistical data.
Various approaches to the concept of a city in the legislation on the administrative-territorial structure of the subjects of the Russian Federation are identified and the signs of classifying a settlement as a city contained in them are considered. It is established that the definition of a city in the legal field is vague, its urban planning and spatial planning aspects are lost. The city ceases to be considered as a real physical space and is replaced by administrative-territorial and municipal categories. It is necessary to develop a unified conceptual framework and criteria fixed at the federal level for classifying settlements as urban, taking into account regional peculiarities. The development of a unified methodology for determining the criteria of urban structure based on spatial characteristics will help determine the number of cities in Russia and determine the real degree of urbanization of the country.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the issues of joint development of specially protected natural areas and adjacent small settlements of the Leningrad region. The relevance of the study is dictated by the need to find tools and solutions for urban planning regulation of such settlements for joint balanced coexistence and development with specially protected natural areas. The object of the study is small settlements located in the immediate vicinity of specially protected natural areas of the Leningrad region and under their direct influence. The subject of the study is the peculiarities of the legal regulation of such settlements and their mutual location relative to specially protected natural areas. The study examines the main stages of the development of the network of specially protected natural areas of the Leningrad region, identifies seven types of mutual arrangement of specially protected natural areas and settlements of the Leningrad region: included, excluded, surrounding, overlapping, partially superimposed, adjacent (with a common border), separate. The features of the legal regulation of settlements adjacent to protected areas are analyzed and a number of problems of their joint development are formulated. The types of mutual location of settlements whose urban planning problems are not solved by the existing legislation are identified; possible tools are proposed that contribute to the consolidation of aesthetic and urban-environmental principles for the development of such neighboring territories.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the urbanization dynamics of territories around the international airports of Russia’s largest cities over the period from 2000 to 2018. Airports become the centers of urbanization, having a significant influence upon the development of adjacent areas. The authors introduce the concept of the “airport environ”. The goal of this work lies in determination of the groups of airport environs with similar attributes of the ongoing urbanization processes that allow forecasting their future development. The parameters defining the development of airport environs were subdivided into the following factors: city, airport, and airport environ itself. Using the method of hierarchical cluster analysis, the airports and surrounding territories were grouped by the set of parameters that correspond with the three elements of consideration. The authors determine the spatial characteristics of the formation of airport environs and distribution of functions within their limits over the indicated timeframe; as well as suggest classification of the airport environs of Russia’s largest cities in accordance with their urbanization level. The article also examines the trends in evolution of the airport adjacent territories based on the stages of their spatial and functional development.

Abstract: This article is dedicated to determination of the role of natural framework within the structure of airport-related zones of largest cities.  The object of this research is the natural framework of the airport-related zones, while the subject is the forms of their effective use. The work considers the problems of development of the airport-related zones on the example of St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport, factors of its dynamic urbanization and consequences of the unregulated construction. The author systematized the approaches towards implementation of the principle of environmental sustainability in foreign strategic documents on development of the territories adjacent to airport. The need is substantiated for creation of the universal developments strategy for the territories adjacent to airport, using the natural framework as an important planning element that allows ensuring sustainable development of the near-airport territory. The article determines the roles of natural framework and recommendations on its formation within the near-airport zones of largest cities. It is established that the natural framework consolidated in the complex strategic document of development of the near-airport territory, as well as the territorial planning documents, can manifest as an instrument for creating the balanced and efficient development of territories adjacent to airport.