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TERRA ECONOMICUS

Second-tier cities in the state regulation of spatial development


TERRA ECONOMICUS, , Vol. 20 (no. 4),

One of the negative trends in the spatial development of Russia is the concentration of population and economic activity in the central cities of the country and regions. The development of second-tier cities is considered as one of the ways to reduce such concentration, as foreign experience suggests. Russia’s Strategy of Spatial Development proposes the hierarchy of promising urban centers of economic growth. The article highlights the significance of second-tier cities located in the regions of the Russian Federation relying on the differentiation of regions within the system of second-tier cities. The author shows that second-tier cities are lagging behind the capital ones in terms of taxable income per capita. Increased dependence on social payments for the population contribute significantly to reducing the differences in living standards between the capital and second-tier cities. Attention is drawn to the emerging trend of dynamic development of second-tier cities, which may increase due to the growing importance of industrial development in the country. The paper also demonstrates that the reliance on second-tier cities is clearly articulated neither at federal nor at regional levels. However, the federal regulations of spatial development pay some attention to second-tier cities, whereas at Russian regions approaches to the selection of “growth points” are ambiguous (which is illustrated by the example of industrial special economic zones).
Citation: Kuznetsova O.V. (2022). Second-tier cities in the state regulation of spatial development. Terra Economicus 20(4), 129–140 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2022-20-4-129-140
Acknowledgment: The article was prepared with the financial support of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (topic “Formation of an analytical system for monitoring the socio-economic development of municipalities of the Russian Federation”).


Keywords: capital cities; second-tier cities; municipalities; urban districts; taxable income; state regulation of spatial development

JEL codes: R12, R28, R58

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Publisher: Southern Federal University
Founder: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606