This article is the first attempt to develop a conceptualization of the humanitarian scientific heritage that formed the source material for modern urban planning theory within the framework of scientific research on urban planning law. The author believes that a broad readership interested in con-temporary urban ideas needs to understand the origins and methods of interdisciplinary and relevant contemporary approaches to the legal regulation of urban planning and urban life in Russia. The research interests of the renowned Soviet scholar Alexei Elbrusovich Gutnov (1937-1986) were related to the most important current issues in the theory of architecture and urban planning. His works were distinguished by the depth of their research and significant practical benefits, which he actively implemented as a planner. They essentially became the scientific foundation for the formation and development of the modern field of urban planning law.