RUDN Journal of EconomicsRUDN Journal of Economics2313-23292408-8986Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)2030210.22363/2313-2329-2018-26-3-468-478Research ArticleAssessment of the economic space of Russia on the basis of the highlight areas of growth and decline in urban populationSokolovA A<p>PhD in Geography, Senior Researcher, Department of Social and Economic Geography, Institute of Steppe of the Russian Academy of Sciences</p>sokolovaa@rambler.ruRudnevaO S<p>PhD in Geography, Senior Researcher, Department of Social and Economic Geography, Institute of Steppe of the Russian Academy of Sciences</p>ksen1909@mail.ruInstitute of Steppe of the Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences1512201826346847810012019Copyright © 2018, Sokolov A.A., Rudneva O.S.2018<p>Development of the Russian economic space is a long-term process, combining geographical, historical, socio-economic and demographic aspects. The relevance of this research topic is due to the need for scientific analysis of the processes of urbanization, the identification of the countrys territories with increasing and decreasing urban population, the formation of urban growth centers as the potential of sustainable territorial organization of the regions and the country as a whole. The article studies the modern structure of urban settlement in Russia and spatial differentiation of the city system. The analysis of population dynamics in all cities of Russia from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present time. The study found that the network of cities is undergoing structural changes. In total, the country has two large areas with a declining urban population and six smaller areas in which the urban population has increased, highlighting the territory of economic growth and decline.</p>regional economyterritories of growth and declineeconomic and geographical zoningurbanizationurban populationрегиональная экономикатерритории роста и упадкаэкономико-географическое районированиеурбанизациягородское население[Animica E.G., Surnina N.M. (2006). Ehkonomicheskoe prostranstvo Rossii: problemy i perspektivy. Ehkonomika regiona, (3), 34—46. (In Russ.)][Berova F.Zh., Sabanchiev A.H. (2010). Regional’nye osobennosti processov urbanizacii i dezurbanizacii. Terra Economicus, 8(1—3), 210—215. (In Russ.)][Chugunova N.V., Polyakova T.A., Lihnevskaya N.V. (2013). Razvitie sistemy gorodskogo rasseleniya Belgorodskoj oblasti. Geografiya i prirodnye resursy, (1), 112—118. (In Russ.)][Gataullin R.F., Karimov A.G., Komarov A.G. (2014). Ehkonomicheskoe prostranstvo: soderzhanie, edinstvo i razryvy. Problemy sovremennoj ehkonomiki, 52(4), 196—200. (In Russ.)][Kachurina L.B., Mkrtchyan N.V. (2016). Rol migratsionnykh protsessov v demograficheskom razvitii regionalnykh tsentrov Rossii. Voprosy geografii. Sb. 141. Moscow: Kodeks Publ., 200—233 (In Russ.)][Kuznecova O.V. (2017). Goroda kak ob’’ekty regional’noj politiki: opyt Evropy i Rossii. Vestnik Rossijskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriya: Ehkonomika, 25(4), 566—574. (In Russ.)][Lappo G.M. (2012). Goroda Rossii. Vzgljad geografa. Moscow: Novyj hronograf Publ., 504. (In Russ.)][Mironova M.N., Kuznetsova N.G., Sholudko A.N. (2017). Types of Cities of the Trans-Siberian Railway: Dynamics of Population and Industrial Functions. RUDN Journal of Economics, 25(4), 553—565. (In Russ.)][Mkrtchjan N.V. (2013). Goroda vostoka Rossii “pod natiskom” demograficheskogo szhatija i zapadnogo drejfa. In: Djatlov V.I., Grigorichev K.V. (eds.). Pereselencheskoe obshhestvo Aziatskoj Rossii: migracii, prostranstva, soobshhestva. Rubezhi XIX—XX i XX—XXI vv. Irkutsk: Ottisk Publ., 41—61. (In Russ.)][Nefedova T.G. (2008). Rossijskaja periferija kak social’no-jekonomicheskij fenomen. Regional’nye issledovanija, (5), 14—31. (In Russ.)][Nefedova T.G., Trejvish A.I. (2002). Teoriya «differencial’noj urbanizacii» i ierarhiya gorodov v Rossii na rubezhe XXI veka. Problemy urbanizacii na rubezhe vekov. Smolensk: Ojkumena Publ., 71—87. (In Russ.)][Poljan P.M. (2014). Territorial’nye struktury — urbanizacija — rasselenie: teoreticheskie podhody i metody izuchenija. Moscow: Novyj hronograf Publ., 785. (In Russ.)][Rudenko L.G. (2015). Funkcii gorodov i ih vlijanie na prostranstvo. Kiev: Feniks Publ., 292. (In Russ.) Saushkin Yu.G. (2001). Izbrannye trudy. Smolensk: Universum Publ., 416. (In Russ.)][Sobolev A.V. (2015). Strukturno-funkcional’nye osobennosti prostranstvennogo razvitija gorodskih i sel’skih poselenij Severo-Zapadnogo jekonomicheskogo rajona. Balt. reg., (1), 143—158. (In Russ.)][Sokolov A.A. (2016). Prostranstvennye izmenenija chislennosti naselenija stepnoj zony Rossii. Narodonaselenie, 73(3), 57—63. (In Russ.)][Chugunova N.V., Polyakova T.A., Lihnevskaya N.V. (2013). Razvitie sistemy gorodskogo rasseleniya Belgorodskoj oblasti. Geografiya i prirodnye resursy, (1), 112—118.]