Annotation

The article analyzes strategic documents in the sphere of spatial development of the Russian Federation to determine the optimal legal model for an agglomeration. Particular attention is paid to the shortcomings of the current legal regulation and the resulting functional conflicts. The author examines the issue of moving away from the settlement-based foundation of local self-government in the context of utilizing agglomeration effects for territorial development. The author substantiates a legal transition from municipalities as legal subjects to agglomerations and core inhabited localities as objects of legal regulation. It is concluded that modern legal constructs primarily enshrine the use of agglomerations as an economic tool for addressing tasks of state-building and issues of local importance, which indicates a “devolution” of municipal-legal constructs. In conclusion, the article argues for the necessity of preserving and developing the institution of intermunicipal cooperation, establishing it as the foundation of the legal model for agglomerations and utilizing it for the purposes of spatial development.