Small towns of Russia: an interdisciplinary analysis

Abstract

. Based on scientific and historical-cultural literature, as well as on the au-thor’s researches, the article analyzes the structure and dynamics of small Russian towns. This analysis involves a combination of the following approaches: cultural-historical, political-economic, integrated, interdisciplinary, as well as analysis of the rate of interaction and metabolism of their constituent agents and environments. Tak-ing into account a rapid development of the Fourth industrial revolution, the author suggests that the dynamics of Russian towns will develop in the following trajecto-ries: involvement of the majority of towns in an orbit of large urban agglomerations. Relatively isolated (closed) towns in the system of “linear towns” along the Northern Sea Route as the most promising, in terms of availability of oil and gas and other re-sources of the region will also be intensively developing. With the development of the transport infrastructure of the country, other types of temporary and rotational settlements will develop. At the same time, the system of ‘closed’ (scientific, mili-tary, sports areas, etc.) small towns will be expanded. In one way or another, the communication and information structures and networks will play a greater role in the dynamics of small towns. With an increase in the probability of occurrence of critical situations (natural and man-made disasters), such type of settlements as mo-bile camps of rapid deployment (civilian, military, search, rescue, etc.) will also develop.