The article substantiates the implementation of the concept of core settlements (CSC), which provides for the adjustment of the settlement system and placement of productive forces in Russia in order to ensure the complexity of the socio-economic development of small and medium-sized cities, as well as rural areas. It is determined that the methodological basis of the concept is the theory of central places as the basis for creating a core settlement system. It is established that the low level of provision with social infrastructure, the growth of environmental and anthropogenic load, and low wages have led to the outflow of the working-age population from rural areas to large cities, which has negatively affected the reproduction of human capital. It is revealed that the organization of the CSC institute should meet the principles of planning the development of changes: target assignment, functional completeness, monetary filling. It is proven that the CSC institute is a complex system of management interactions between federal authorities, local governments and economic agents (local households and producers), which can attract population to rural areas and increase the resilience of the local economy to changes in the external environment. The organization of support settlements involves adjusting the socio-economic development of territories capable of generating economic growth but having a low population density. It is substantiated that the most important tool for implementing the concept is the development and ranking of long-term plans for the socio-economic development of both the CSC and adjacent territories. The advantages of implementing the CSC concept have been identified, providing a synergistic effect for the development of rural areas, including expanded opportunities for attracting federal funding and improving the provision of CSC and adjacent territories with market and social infrastructure. It is concluded that the implementation of the CSC development concept cannot automatically ensure the solution of a set of problems of sustainable development of rural areas, but requires the development of local management mechanisms that take into account local specifics, the activation of social partnership technologies based on the participation of the population in joint activities. Within the framework of the implementation of the CSC concept, it is proposed to take into account intraregional and intra-municipal differences in social ties, traditions and opportunities for realizing the resource potential of a rural area.