On development of the Arctic zone cities as reference centers of spatial development of the Russian Northwestern regions

The issues of social and economic development in the context of urban and municipal formations are an important strategic task of public administration. The study of northern urban settlements and trends assessment in their social and economic development is a relevant area of study of existing and developing measures of state support at the federal and regional levels. The purpose of the study is to identify effective tools for assessing the Arctic cities development indicators, as well as to determine directions and trends in accordance with the national strategic objectives and priorities in the Arctic macroregion development. The information research base is the data of the Federal State Statistics Service and indicators of independent assessment of the conditions quality for social services provision. From the methodological point of view, demographic characteristics, migration indicators, and the independent quality assessment results have been assessed to identify the spatial features of social and economic development of cities. The typological groups by population size of urban settlements have been determined. Migration characteristics of the cities under study have been revealed. A comparative analysis of the conditions for social services provision to the population by branches of the social sphere has been carried out. The obtained results can be the basis for managing and coordinating integrated development programs for the Arctic territories and their impact on the country’s spatial development as a whole.