RUDN journal of Sociology (Dec 2015)
What do we know about contemporary Russian suburbs?
Abstract
The article analyzes the subject field of the so-called “suburban studies” in contemporary Russia. In the first part of the article, the author shows that, despite the obvious potential of the relevant empirical data, the analytical work of Russian scientists, and the ample opportunities to join the current international debates, Russians scientists are still not interested in this area of research, which is, apparently, is a consequence of the general deep crisis of the urban studies in the country. Nowadays Russian suburbs are growing, new forms of suburb relations and household arrangements emerge and develop; however, the number of publications and studies on these processes does not grow. In the second part of the article, the author presents the results of the suburban studies he conducted in one of the largest cities in Siberia - Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia. The author shows how this case reflects the general model of suburban development not only in Russia, but also in the post-soviet urban space. In particular, the article focuses on the development of squatter (unauthorized) settlements, the growth and transformations of suburban villages, reconstruction of urban and suburban dachas, construction of cottage settlements, and the development of non-residential infrastructure near cities.
