Specifics of the Economic Space in Modern Realities

The authors analyze the views of well-known Russian scientists on the issues of the essence of the territory, the specifics of the Russian economic space, and further spatial development. Special attention is paid to the heterogeneity of the economic space of the Russian state as one of its key characteristics. Particular emphasis is put on such modern trends as overcoming, shrinking space, and reducing economic distance. The article highlights the important role of infrastructure in the process of "overcoming" space. Special attention is paid to the evolution of the economic space through the intensification of the process of economic space compression, especially due to the innovative transformation of activities. In this study the authors focus on "networking", "virtualization" of space, as well as trends, such as increasing the speed of movement of people and goods, and the speed of information exchange. Based on the analysis, the authors’ interpretations of the concepts of "territory" and "economic space" are proposed. The paper highlights the fundamental difference between these concepts, namely, the exclusively material nature of the territory and the abstract essence of space. As a result of the study, the authors conclude that the innovative nature of interactions is a characteristic of the quality of economic space in modern realities, along with the density of economic activity, the location of activities, the connectivity of parts and objects of space.