In a year, Irkutsk will expand its borders

Irkutsk may gain new territories within a year. A special group and Moscow urbanists are working on expanding the city borders. Over 50,000 people live outside the current limits and lack kindergartens and clinics.

A year from now, the regional center may grow by new territories. A special group is working on the issue of expanding the boundaries of Irkutsk. Dmitry Berdnikov announced this at his year-end press conference.
This task is being handled not only by the special group, but also by specialists from the Institute of Urban Studies from the Russian capital.
The mayor clarified that the issue of expanding the city’s boundaries has been dragging on for many years, and from his first days in office, Dmitry Berdnikov has tried to keep this problem under control.
A working group was created between Irkutsk and the Irkutsk District. Deputies of the Legislative Assembly also expressed their support on this issue.
"Specialists from the Institute of Urban Studies, which operates under the Moscow City Hall, are involved in the process. Calculations have been completed and are to be put up for public discussion. It should be understood that this is not a quick process. In the most favorable scenario, it may take about a year," the mayor said.
According to Dmitry Viktorovich, the need to expand the city’s boundaries has long been overdue. Today this creates problems for suburban residents, who are in fact considered residents of the Irkutsk District.
"Today Irkutsk has long outgrown its boundaries; for successful development, they need to be adjusted. By our estimates, more than 50,000 people live outside the administrative and territorial center. This is a burden on infrastructure; people cannot use kindergartens and medical facilities," the mayor said.
Expanding Irkutsk’s boundaries will provide new territories for building residential neighborhoods, which can be developed and constructed in a comprehensive manner.