MOSCOW, August 14 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday will hold a meeting on Moscow’s expansion. “It will focus, first and foremost, on the specification of earlier made decisions, on the discussion of the organisational and economic aspects, including the efficient use of funds,” the Kremlin press service reported.
Taking part in the meeting will be Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Moscow Region Governor Sergei Shoigu, representatives of the Russian Federal Assembly, the Russian presidential administration, the leadership of the Ministries of Finance, Regional Development, Economic Development, Transport, the Department of Presidential Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The initiative to expand the borders of the Russian capital was put forward by Dmitry Medvedev at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in July 2010. He asked the governments of Moscow and the Moscow Region, together with the concerned federal bodies of state authority to present proposals on the expansion the territory of the RF capital, including for the placement of the legislative (representative) and executive bodies of state authority, the creation and development of an international financial centre in Russia.
In April, a meeting on the development of the Moscow agglomeration was held in Troitsk. On its results the Russian president approved a list of instructions on the legislative and infrastructural preparations for the implementation of this initiative.
Starting from July 1, 2012, Moscow officially got new boundaries, its area increased from 107 thousand hectares to 255 thousand hectares. About 250 thousand people were added to the “old” nearly 12 million Muscovites.
On the map, Moscow that until recently had the form of an irregular circle, is turning into a “comet” and, interrupting its development according to a circular principle, begins to grow along the axis. The city has expanded by adding territories in the south-west: 21 municipalities, including two urban districts - Troitsk and Shcherbinka, and 19 urban and rural settlements that were part of the Podolsk, Leninsky and Naro-Fominsk Districts of the Moscow Region. Part of the territory of the Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk Districts was also added to the RF capital. Two new districts – Troitsk and Novomoskovsk have been added to the earlier existing 10 administrative districts of the city. The special department for the development of the new territories has been created in the city. The social protection departments have been set up for the residents of the new lands.
The Moscow expansion plan envisages the creation of a major metropolitan area. Its main points will be the Kommunarka administrative and business centre, the Rublevo-Arkhangelsky financial and business centre', two innovative research centres - Skolkovo and Troitsk, two natural recreational and tourism centres - Uspenskoye and Rogovsloye. The RF capital’s new territories will be divided into the near, medium and recreational zones. It is planned to conduct active construction and urbanisation in the first zone, local urban complexes and social facilities in the natural environment will appear in the medium. The far – the largest zone will be used for recreation and tourism.