microdistrict

thumb|One of the typical Tbilisi, Georgia microdistricts thumb|View of Namyv microdistrict in Mykolaiv, [[Ukraine]] thumb|right|Aerial view of Väike-Õismäe, [[Tallinn, Estonia]] thumb|Chertanovo Severnoye District, [[Moscow, Russia]] thumb|Bragino microdistrict in Yaroslavl, Russia thumb|Újpalota, [[Budapest, Hungary]] A microdistrict or microraion is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former socialist states. Residential districts in most of the cities and towns in Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union were built in accordance with this concept.

According to the Construction Rules and Regulations of the Soviet Union, a typical microdistrict covered the area of 10–60 hectares (30–160 acres), up to but not exceeding 80 hectares (200 acres) in some cases, and comprised residential dwellings (usually multi-story apartment buildings) and public service buildings. As a general rule, major motor roads, greenways, and natural obstacles served as boundaries between microdistricts, allowing an overall reduction in city road construction and maintenance costs and emphasizing public transportation. Major motor roads or through streets were not to cross microdistricts' territories. The entrances to a microdistrict's territory were to be located no further than 300 meters (1000 ft) apart.