Imperatives of spatial development of Russia

Perception space is one of the most important components of a country’s civic culture. It lays the basis for its fundamental values and attitudes. Regional inequality undermines the common space of the Russian Federation. It boosts inequality as far as life chances are concerned. Regional inequality provokes resentiment and latent dissatisfaction with the existing social order. There are two options for coping with inequality. One consists in creating stimuli for migrations of rural and small city residents to big cities. The second one presupposes longterm investment and institutional strategy to develop traditional Russian settlements, to create jobs and expand the possibilities of self-realizaton. The first option will inevitably lead to a drop in birth rate and gradual reduction of the country’s population and ultimately its replacement with migrants from the developing countries. The first option might lead to unpredicted negative consequences of the scale that is difficult now to foresee. The second option would set out to sustain the size of the population and secure cultural and economic resources of small and medium-size cities and towns.