ABSTRACT
The 20th century in Russia may be referred to as the “urban age”, not only due to the increase in the number of cities and share of urban population but also due to the profound transformations in the way of life which followed urbanization. Along with many other countries of the world, Russia has been affected by the decrease in birth rates already in the Soviet era because of the demographic transitions. Moreover, the adverse events in the country’s past in the first half of the 20th century—wars, several waves of famine and repressions–have altered the population structure. Against adverse demographic trends in Russia, it would be logical to assume that urban shrinkage has gained much attention within both scholarly and policymaking debates. Statistical data on Russian administrative-territorial units are available at all constitutional levels of governance.
