Press releases

MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) - Rudensk and Smolevichi will be the first to evolve as Minsk satellite towns, Vice Chairman of the Architecture and Construction Committee of the Minsk City Hall, Chief Architect of Minsk Oblast Alexander Volovich told reporters when commenting on Decree No. 13 which approved the integrated territorial management of the regions and the general layouts of Brest, Grodno and Minsk satellite towns, BelTA has learned.

The development of Minsk satellite towns will be financed by the Minsk City Hall and Minsk Oblast Executive Committee. "We are developing a new architectural landscape for the satellite towns and will give residential buildings a completely new look,” Alexander Volovich said.

The Chief Architect of Minsk Oblast noted that the development of the satellite town will help contain the territorial growth of Minsk and will give an impetus to the socio-economic transformation of small suburban towns. The satellite towns will still be small towns but will enjoy more attractive low-rise architecture, better landscaping and beautification, and a high level of social comfort.

The decree provides for the development of satellite towns in two phases: by 2020 and by 2030. It will start with Smolevichi and Rudensk. It is planned that by 2020, the population of Smolevichi will reach 23,000, that of Rudensk 20,800. By 2030, the populations in these towns will increase to make up 30,000 and 80,000 accordingly. Today the population of Smolevichi is 15,600, that of Rudensk is 11,500. There are plans to develop necessary social infrastructure: daycares, schools, healthcare and other institutions. The satellite towns will see their enterprises modernized and will also become home to new-generation production zones such as industrial parks, industrial clusters.

Development of Smolevichi will be closely connected with the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park, the first phase of which will create about 25,000 jobs. The missing workforce (10,000-12,000 people) will commute from Minsk. Renovation and expansion of Minsk National Airport will also create thousands of jobs by 2020. As regard Rudensk, it will focus on the development of industrial complex associated with scientific and industrial base of Minsk. It will host clusters of a particular sectoral focus (mechanical engineering, energy, etc.).

On the whole, the life of Minsk satellite towns will be closely interrelated with the capital city. A considerable part of the population of these towns will be able to commute to Minsk on a daily basis. Transport infrastructure will get an additional boost. Each of the satellite towns will perform its function. Zaslavl and Logoisk are promising places to develop tourism. Zaslavl can also become home to a number of cultural academies and universities currently located in the capital. Zaslavl will further develop its tourism and recreation functions. Small manufacturing facilities will be set up to help the tourism sector in the town. Logoisk will be molded as a historical center of tourism, recreation and entertainment. Fanipol and Dzerzhinsk can serve as distribution transport and logistic hubs, and also play the role of centers for industrial companies, including those suggested for moving out of the capital. The abovementioned towns can also become centers of marketing policy and presentation functions. This will include the allocation of exposition areas, hosting industrial exhibition fairs and promoting business tourism.

It was earlier informed that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No.13 to approve the schemes of complex territorial organization of oblasts and the layouts of Zhabinka (the satellite town of Brest), Skidel (the satellite town of Grodno), and Dzerzhinsk, Zaslavl, Logoisk, Rudensk, Smolevichi, and Fanipol (the satellite towns of Minsk).