ABSTRACT
The Russian urban system is rapidly polarizing with a few fast-growing large urban centers and a significant number of cities experiencing population loss, economic downturn, and cityscape deterioration. In international urban research and planning practice cities facing depopulation and structural crises are referred to as “shrinking”. This chapter provides a brief overview of research on, and identification of, shrinking cities in Russia. It discusses urban shrinkage in Russia in terms of different time periods, city size and geographical location. The chapter includes a typology of shrinking Russian cities based on different indicators. In post-soviet period, the trajectories of urban population dynamics changed significantly in comparison to those during the Soviet era. In 1989–2002, growth was limited to a small group of cities, including cities in ethnic republics—Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, republics of the North Caucasus and southern Siberia; and cities in economically successful regions—Belgorodskay oblast, Tyumenskay oblast.
