Evaluation of the Development Potential of Russian Cities



and cities suffering from severe ecological conditions are not only the industrial and
agricultural districts and centres (which would be understandable), but also the recreational
regions and for example the Region of the Caucasian Spa Resorts
(PiterskiBrade, 1999,
2000a).

The social situation in Russian cities is complicated further by problems of the growing
social-economic differentiation and polarization of the population, which leads to rising social
tensions in the cities. Post Soviet Russia is
, as other central European and east European
countries, characterised by a social structure where the majority of the population lives just
above the minimum subsistence level. Unemployment in Russia in 1999 amounted to 13,4%
of the workforce and can soon get to be called massive in character
(Russian Statistical
Year-Book,
2000). At the same time, 80% of Russian real estate belongs to 10% of Russian
families. This shows that the reforms of the 90s have largely failed to a modernise Russia, but
rather led to the creation of a new elite in the cities.
(Zaslavskaya, 1997).

And last but not least, a transition to a free market economy in Russia has led to an increasing
decentralization of central power and to the elimination of state central planning. Russian
state now has smaller influence upon economic decision-making structures.

The development of Russian cities reflects, in a concentrated form, all these processes and
problems. These developments required, in principle, a re-assessment of the developmental
potential of cities. Additionally
, it has to be stressed that the economic- and natural conditions
of Russia are very differentiated and the developmental processes of the cities in the
individual regions varies accordingly
.

Re-assessment of the problems related to the development of Russian cities requires an
independent evaluation. Two groups of problems need to be analysed. First, the problems of
development of the large cities (the aim of this paper is to discuss the development of these
cities in the first place) as well as of small and medium sized cities. And second, the specifics
of development of certain functional urban settlements.

It needs stressing that problems of development of each Russian city need to be analysed in
the individual regional context. This approach will allow to take into account those significant



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