Dear readers,

In Russia, under the new Constitution of the Russian Federation (Article 114, paragraph 1, e. 5), the state authorities are obliged to promote every citizen's right to housing and to encourage them to organize their own living arrangements. Thus, the starting point for solving housing problems is the fair and equitable satisfaction of the basic needs of citizens.

In accordance with the main objectives of improving the living conditions of Russian citizens, every individual residing in Russia is given the opportunity to obtain suitable housing on the basis of three criteria:

1) each family shall have a flat whose number of rooms and area are appropriate to the size of the family and the individual needs of its members;

2) the composition, design and equipment of a flat must be appropriate, in compliance with environmental regulations and functionality, and the dwellings must fit in with their surroundings;

3) the housing costs are reasonable and proportionate to the number of family members and the premises used and the amount of additional costs.

Social grants are primarily intended for those families who are unable to achieve an acceptable standard of living if they do not have the means to do so. This means that the primary responsibility for paying for the organization and costs of housing lies with the citizens themselves.

In addition to social and commercial rented housing, a special form of corporate housing - a flat with the right of residence and gradual redemption - is becoming popular in some regions of Russia as an experiment. This form has existed in many countries for a long time, and in the Nordic countries of Europe and Canada it forms a significant part of the housing stock - 12...17%. What these forms of housing have in common is that a citizen in need of housing can obtain it with little equity by paying a right of residence fee, which is at least 5% of the value of the flat.

It cannot be sold arbitrarily because it is a cross between a private flat and a rented flat.

This form of housing is becoming popular because the security of tenure is reliable from the point of view of citizens' right to housing. This initiative is now being discussed in the State Duma of the Russian Federation. These and other housing problems, as well as mechanisms for solving them, are presented in this issue of the magazine.

Sincerely,
Peter Grabovy,
Editor-in-Chief

Published: 2021-05-17

Transforming housing construction: project cost management challenges

Irina Vladimirova, Anna Tsygankova, Yulia Kosareva

14-19

Redevelopment of the Moscow monorail

Denis Vlasov, Sergey Vakulenko, Dmitry Romenskii

80-88