When choosing areas for the Department’s scientific research, our teachers took into consideration the diverse SPbGASU specializations for which the Department is field-specific. The main area of its scientific activity is the prevention of corrupt behavior at various construction stages, such as the acquisition of a title document for land, expert examination at the stage of engineering surveys, architectural and construction design, obtaining building and commissioning permits, etc. The study showed that the prevention of corrupt behavior is also important at the stage of public hearing.
The Department proposed the following forms for improving the legal regulation of urban development in Russia:
- To include in the programs of such disciplines as “Administrative Law”, “Administrative Process”, “Civil Law”, “Land Law”, “Environmental Law”, “Criminal Law” a special section on the study of anti-corruption policy in Russia with a detailed designation of the stages at which the corrupt behavior is possible. For example, for the town planning law these are the following stages:
- Obtaining a building permit
- Obtaining permission for commissioning
- Conducting public discussions, public hearings, etc.
- To appeal to the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly with a proposal to develop a draft amendment to the urban planning legislation aimed at:
- Creating a mechanism to determine and highlight the significance of public discussions and public hearings
- Enhancing civil society’s involvement in urban development of the state for the clarification of the role of citizens in urban development and the further development of civil society.