Is it possible to save small cities?

The Governor of the Ivanovo Region Stanislav Voskresensky published an article in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta about the role of small cities in which, if we discard passages about the “Russian secret”, “traditional values” and “mysterious Russian rightness”, there are many sensible considerations:

“People in small cities of Russia today live harder than a century ago. Young people often simply do not see prospects. It is difficult to find a job, rarely where there is access to quality medicine, education and leisure. Most of the workplaces of small cities were created in the budget sector - in the administration, school, police branches. According to the VTsIOM study, conducted in 2021, in small cities today there are more pessimistic moods. People believe that “everything is declining”, the fears of inflation, social injustice (almost 75 %) are high, people in general feel poorer: 70 % of respondents answered that they only have enough money for food and clothes. In large cities, the level of satisfaction with the quality of life in people is usually higher. < ... >

The model, to which, in my opinion, we should strive and which can be realized at least within central Russia with its relatively short distances between settlements and a significant historical heritage of settlements, provides for the creation of a comfortable environment without a large gap between the standard of living in the “capital” and “province” and the rejection of megalis “condensing” with the maximum high concentration of the population.

In a space in which a good life does not end immediately outside the garden ring, open spaciousness for initiative, initiative, development of culture and creativity. By concentrating on the implementation of infrastructure projects and projects in the field of railway transport (and in the future - river, small and medium aircraft, the introduction of innovation in the transport sector), we must achieve the transformation of central Russia into a single environment, in which everyone will be able to make a choice in favor of life in one of the beautiful old cities, without losing relations with the business center. ”