Modelling sustainable spatial development of Russian regions

The paper highlights the issues of spatial development of Russia's territory and its regions. The authors substantiate the interrelation of spatial development and sustainable development of territories, where the spatial organization of the country's economy is considered as one of the directions of achieving sustainable development. The problems of spatial development are analysed and disclosed. As an important indicator of the imbalance of modern spatial development of regions and the whole territory of the Russian Federation is considered the population density and concentration of economic activity, which have a close relationship and historical features of formation. The paper substantiates the allocation of macrozones and macroregions for a comprehensive analysis of social and economic problems and determining the prospects of spatial development of the Russian Federation regions. Statistical indicators in the context of six macrozones are given and analysed. The authors substantiate the allocation of macrozones from the position of the theory of economic zoning of the territory of Russia, which was applied before 2000, and the formation of Federal Districts as a result of the introduction of a new political and administrative reform of the country. The authors identify the regularities of development of six macrozones based on the results of analysing a sample of statistical indicators and trends in their dynamics. The study formulates and substantiates the problems of persisting imbalance and disproportions in the spatial development of Russia's regions and territory. In order to solve this problem, the authors propose a multilevel realization model of spatial development of the territory the Russian Federation, in which the criteria of differentiation are defined at the following levels: macro-level and meso-level. The basis for solving the problems of spatial differentiation is the choice by each region of a clear strategy of socio-economic development, the development which is fixed at the state level and is mandatory.