Urbanization and Seasonal Deurbanization in Modern Russia

Abstract

The course of urbanization in 20th-century Russia and its specifics during Soviet times and today are considered. To explain the specifics of the urbanization process, the authors put forward five hypotheses, discussing them in detail. The first hypothesis pertains to the inadequacy of Russian statistics. The second depends on the conclusion about the urbanization/deurbanization stage within a territory considered urban (urbanized). The third hypothesis explains the fuzziness of current processes in Russia in terms of their diversity and sometimes the opposite character in various regions and for various population groups. The fourth includes the assumption that resettlement from the provinces to megacities since the 2000s has been replaced by temporary labor migrations of the Russian population to large centers in search of livelihood. The fifth hypothesis holds that the massive involvement of owners of second rural homes, used by city dwellers as dachas during warm months, has created a special type of Russian seasonal dacha suburbanization/deurbanization, slowing down deurbanization typical of developed countries.