SEASONAL SUBURBANIZATION IN THE REGIONS OF RUSSIA

Abstract

The assessment of the scale and parameters of the seasonal suburbanization in Russiais based on various sources of information. Particular attention is paid to the study of regional features of the seasonal housing (dachas, gardening and horticultural communities, organized cottage settlements). The gardening associations tend to concentrate in the regions with large and larger cities. Regions with favorable agroclimatic conditions attract the horticultural associations with predominately agricultural function. Dachas communities were identified only in a half of the Russian regions, mainly in suburban areas of large and the largest cities. Formation and development of organized cottage settlements is a principal innovation of the present-day suburban dwelling. They arise only near the largest cities but are expected to become a major driver of transforming seasonal suburbanization into a standard Western-type one (migration from the cities to the suburbs). The analysis of different functional use of second suburban housing shows that the importance of agricultural function grows and the role of recreational function decreases as the city of permanent residence of dacha owners becomes smaller and smaller. At the same time poor social and transport infrastructure along with traditional use of dachas during weekends and summer season would slow down the move of urban residents to the suburbs for permanent dwelling, thus maintaining the seasonal form of suburbanization in the regions of Russia.