An American geographer specializing in Russia examines the unprecedented plan announced in mid-2011 by the country's President Dmitriy Medvedev to expand the territory of Moscow and move government offices to newly annexed areas. The plan aims to increase the land area of the capital by 155 percent, mainly by annexation of a vast tract southwest of the city. The author demonstrates that while "New Moscow" is envisioned as a multi-polar and low-density urban site, the historic core would likely focus on tourism. He discusses the official reasons given for the immense undertaking, the potential problems raised by urban specialists and local media, as well as the results of public opinion polls detailing the attitudes of Muscovites toward the city's proposed transformation. Journal of Economic Literature,

abstract. In this article I examine Moscow's role in the political‐economic space of the Russian Federation. A broad range of data supports the thesis that the capital has become a primate city, one that serves no longer as the command center of a closed system but as the primary node of interconnection between Russia and the rest of the world. The effort to create a larger, polycentric “New Moscow” next to the ancient capital is marked by a tightening of central control, in contrast to governance regimes of European megaregions. Nevertheless, expansion of the capital region very likely will further boost Moscow's dominance over the country.

ABSTRACT. The erratic course of the “transition” in Russia today undermines hope for the establishment of a genuine democracy supported by institutions of civil society. The West must accept that the outcome of the transition is unknown. Whether public space is emerging where the practices of civil society have been able to take root is not clear at the moment. However, important transitions in daily life and everyday places are occurring, especially as a result of consumerism. If public space does take shape, it will have to be rooted in Moscow's new places. This study draws on the conceptual framework of Robert David Sack in an exploration of changes in places and selves in Moscow.

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Despite a major road construction program, the pace of traffic circulation in Moscow has slowed to less than half the average speed recorded for 1991. One problem is the rapid growth in the number of vehicles, but even more important, as shown in this study, are the cultural and political dimensions of driving and automobile ownership, or automobility. Currently, some specifically Russian driving practices exacerbate the situation. Yet there are many drivers who are eager to collaborate with City Hall in the effort to alleviate congestion. It is argued here that these driver-citizens are emerging publics, people who are creating a civil society without specifically meaning to do so. Mayor Luzhkov acknowledges public opinion, but persists in attempting to solve traffic and parking problems "from above" by constructing more facilities without inviting public participation in planning. These efforts appear unlikely to succeed as long as the public is excluded from mobility governance. [