City and “Urbanˮ: Identity and Difference

Abstract

Introduction. The current global trend of changing the urban form, which is expressed in the development of suburbs and in the transfer of business centers in megalopolises from central business districts to peripheral ones, actualizes the problem of identifying what is preserving in these new urban formations from “urban” properly. Purpose of the article is on the basis of theoretical understanding of the essence of “urbanicity” and the results of the conducted empirical research to identify the possibility of preserving “urban” during the transformation of the urban form. Materials and Methods. The materials of the study were the data of a sociological survey of residents of southern Russian cities. 1532 people from all types of cities in the Southern Federal District were interviewed by the questionnaire method. The conceptual framework of the analysis was a combination of spatial and cultural-anthropological approaches. This made it possible to interpret the citizens’ assessments of their life in cities as a representation of the degree of presence of the urban element in their lives. Results. The performed analysis of the collected empirical material has revealed that “urban” in modern southern Russian cities is being eroded. This is expressed in the general dissatisfaction with the cultural level of those around them, in the feeling of insufficient security, in the incompleteness of the feeling of happiness from life in the city, in the highlighted shortcomings of open public spaces, in the passivity of the townspeople. Discussion and Conclusion. The future of cities is determined not only by spatial transformations and technological innovations, but by the ability to preserve the “urban” basis per se: that is, the ability to ensure the safety, diversity, communication and freedom of townspeople. “Urban” is an effective connection with the city of every city dweller as an active participant in its life, and not only as a consumer of ready-made urban forms. The analysis of the collected material has been targeted at the regional authorities implementing urban and cultural policy. The research results may prove useful to civil society institutions promoting interaction between the administration and urban residents.