Social infrastructure importance for modern city and the ways of its urban development

Abstract

The present study objective is to determine the importance of social infrastructure for modern city and to identify the ways of its urban development (Moscow, as an example). Statistics data (taken from official municipal and regional sources), results of systematic, typological, functional and structural analysis, sociological survey of population was used. Assessment of society development current challenges, analysis of scientific research in economy, education, culture, allowed the author to determine the importance of social infrastructure for modern city as a tool for urban environment transformation, quality improvement of human asset, strengthening the economic basis of the city. The author offered the periods of Moscow social infrastructure development from the early 20th century until present by identifying basic political and economic tasks, which determined the role and directions of cultural and consumer services sphere development. Within existing structural deformations of the system of cultural and consumer services for the population, the lack of territorial resources in the established development areas, the ways of social infrastructure improvement were proposed. These ways include planning optimization of the territory, clarifying typology and structure of public centers, working out the model of functional and spatial organization of the service system, techniques for intensifying the territory usage, sociological factor accounting, monitoring the level of social infrastructure urban development. The newness of the present study from the scientific point of view is a comprehensive approach to improvement of the city social infrastructure, including planning, sociological, architectural and spatial aspects.