The article systematizes the patterns of economic development of the North-Western Federal District (NWFD) in 2020 against the background of political instability, economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. Conceptually based on the system of national accounting, statistical data and analytical conclusions are presented on the dynamics of economic indicators at key stages of the economic process (production, income generation and their use), taking into account the availability of operational statistics. The development of industrial production, agriculture, transport, the labor market, the formation of incomes of the population, business and budget, as well as the parameters of consumer, investment and foreign trade demand in 2020 are estimated. Recommendations are given on ways to overcome the crisis phenomena in the economy of the district.

The integrated development of the modern urban environment, in accordance with the trend towards digitalization of socio-economic relations, is closely related to the concept of a digital twin. The use of this concept long before its final formation was reflected in the field of economic modeling, however, the current level of development of information technologies makes it possible to widely apply the achievements of science in practice, particularly in the field of urban management by creating digital twins of settlements. Despite the significant interest in the topic of digital twins of cities, the impact of the city management system, which is an essential and high-powered part of the city, on the functioning of such hardware and software complexes has been poorly studied. Due to the fact that the effective interaction with the digital twin of the city is impossible without the use of modern digital innovations while performing managerial and analytical activities, which are the conditions of forming the environment of digital twins, the authors analyzed the state policy in the field of forming so-called smart cities which widely use the last achievements of digitalization, including the technology of digital twins. The purpose of the analysis is to highlight factors influencing the formation of the innovative environment of implementation both of digital twins of cities in particular and high-tech system of city economy in general. Based on the study results, the authors revealed the significant effect of regional policy of constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the field of informatization of state authorities and local self-government on the development of smart cities in Russia, and developed a tool for determination of the intensity of the process of introducing innovative digital labor tools into the activities of management structures.