Гордеев С. С.

The article deals with the problems of socio-economic development typical for many regions of Russia in the conditions of spatial heterogeneity of the territory at municipal level. The solution to such problems largely relates to studying the “path dependence” or institutional inertia of the previous development, which limits necessary transformations. The administrative-territorial division, as the historical heritage of the previous development, in many cases determines the specifics of local institutions and enlarges the “path dependence”. The paper analyzes administrative-territorial development restrictions associated with the assessment of the basic spatial characteristics of municipalities. The methodology for conducting such an analysis involves the use of informationally adapted (geoinformation) approaches using a combination of visualization, heuristic approaches, classifications and formalized mathematical assessment tools. A similar analysis was carried out for a group of municipalities in the central part of the Chelyabinsk region. In this case, there is quite a representative indicator of spatial problems of the old industrial territories. According to the analysis and research results, the article presents a number of conceptual and methodological provisions on institutional transformations in spatial development management. They are targeted at developing effective inter-municipal interaction for a system of heterogeneous municipalities.