Flagship Projects in the Development Strategies of Urban Municipalities in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation

Abstract

The article presents the results of the first comparative study of flagship projects in the Artic cities. The aim of the study was to identify common features and differences of flagship projects that have a significant impact on the development of territories, as well as in describe such projects in the long-term strategic planning documents of the most populous cities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Flagship projects are of great importance for the implementation of a strategic document, however, the concept of a «flagship project» is not used to describe a significant project in most cases in Arctic cities, but other terminology has been used, for example, «investment» or «promising» projects. We found that out of the 20 projects in the most populous Arctic cities, the detailed information on strategies was provided only for eleven, while information on funding sources was given only for six. The study revealed that in its development some Arctic cities invest their available resources into certain promising areas that become «growth points», while others prioritize comprehensive development of the city with good living standards. The study found a high degree of differentiation for most of the analyzed quantitative indicators. At the same time, only some flagship projects have intrinsic Arctic characteristics. The research showed that the use of project approach in the Arctic cities of Russia varies significantly, which results in low efficiency of the flagship projects implementation output.