Development of Small Towns for the Systemic Establishment of Family Spirit and the Sustainability of Society

Prerequisites for writing essays and the relevance of the topic (in terms of chal- lenge/opportunity)

Over the past five years, there has been increasing demand among citizens to move outside of large cities and visit tourist sites that are far away fr om the hus­tle and bustle of the city. This trend has resulted in developers building new cit­ies from scratch in wide open areas or reconsidering the development of a small settlement/tourist centre. Systematic approaches to both the methods used to achieve socioeconomic results and managing the territories with this new way of life have not yet taken shape.

The key trend in urbanism for the near future is sustainable development, a concept in which a comfortable environment is combined with a desire for car­bon neutrality, energy efficiency, and ensuring that people are in their proper place. This is the whole idea behind the harmonious coexistence of humans with nature. The concepts of new cities have already started being implemented. Such exam­ples include: Dobrograd (Vladimir Region), “Grad na Nerl” (Ivanovo Region), Arc- toria (Moscow Region), and others.

The modern world shows that we are doing something wrong. Humanity has been unable to find a formula for harmonious cooperation, yet still has to decide how to go on living. Family breakdowns, conflicts, loss of values, loneliness, poverty, environmental disasters, high mortality, epidemics, and a reduction in fertile soil all lead to the need to create a new way of life.

In this regard, the challenge is the need for a new way of life based on technology, a shared consumption economy, a cooperative model of social organization, and a different approach to parliamentarism the election and appointment of city/territory heads.

Emphasis on economic and social aspects

A key condition for changes: MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT SHOULD NOT EXCEED SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT *From Decree 809 of the President of the Russian Federation

The main thing in all concepts is not to change the city, but ourselves and to allow our children to take part in creating a living environment with the principle of “I came up with it, they supported me, jointly implemented it, and I want to live here and build on what has been created”.

What social issues are being addressed:

•         Health and increasing reproductive age and active longevity

•         Preservation and strengthening of spiritual and moral family values, as well as ensuring their transmission from generation to generation

•         Revival of rural areas and land use

•         Unity of peoples and patriotic upbringing. Preservation of Russia’s historical and cultural heritage

•         Food safety and the development of deep processing

•         Acquisition of knowledge and skills and the development of professional and managerial qualities and skills among rural residents

•         A more prominent role for social partnership, the idea of creative work and mutual assistance, and unity for universal prosperity

What international cooperation issues are being addressed:

•         Creation of a new way of life and a model for its scaling

•         Development and improvement of the quality of human capital

•         Development of human potential through IT projects

•         Creation of a safe information space

•         Greater international prestige of the Russian Federation and the return of repatriates from other countries to work the land/in villages

What economic issues are being addressed:

•         Organic urban growth because cities are a concentration of opportunities to both earn and spend

•         Use of green technologies in construction, the application of all human expe­rience (both centuries-old and ultra-modern) in saving heat (and coolness), the consideration of landscape and climate features, and the use of precise modern technologies.

•         Development of agricultural production as a chain of food safety for families

•         Agritourism as an integral part of the territory

•         Technopark for the development of production and entrepreneurship

A key condition for a project’s success is to combine the scientific base with actual practice and create laboratories, a family fund, a knowledge base, and inven­tions in a particular territory.

Territory management and institutional change of the parliamentary system.

The creation of the Council of Families, as well as the IT Platform for the heads of families to participate in voting/proposals (family personal account), including election procedures, will encourage the fostering of the value of family, the pro­vision of timely and effective feedback from the country’s population, and their active participation in the implementation of national projects and state ideas.

Examination of the principles of communal law in the system of local self-gov­ernment.

Special aspects of the IT platform to consider family opinions:

1.       The website should provide the opportunity to inform the population about the projects and ideas being implemented, as well as strategies for the fur­ther development of the territory/state in a timely and high-quality manner. In addition, all innovations should be described clearly, accessible, and as understandable as possible for the population, which itself can participate in their implementation.

2.       The platform should provide the opportunity to not only view the essence and goals of each innovation, but also the timeframe for its implementation and all the necessary funding.

3.       The Family Council will select projects for implementation by general online voting, which will be conducted until a certain period and take into account the majority vote. For example, a project will be approved for implementation with the support of over 60% of the population. Moreover, each family can search for this project in the system, track the process of its implementation, and see what difficulties arise in the process and, if necessary, make sugges­tions or provide assistance.

General conclusions and anticipated results

Families are actively participating in the social life of their territories and the country as a whole, and the development of the institution of the family is being encouraged. The country is becoming more unified through families and commu­nities. A caring attitude is being cultivated towards the place wh ere you live and take part in its development. Through labour and new technologies, conditions are being created for the full realization of human potential and the exchange of expe­rience (tourism). Tourism is enriching the life experience instead of just being a form of entertainment.