Old-Developed Areas and Socio-Geographic Space of Russia: From the Editors of the Special Issue

This special issue is devoted to the study of the middle zone of European Russia from the western borders to the Urals and Trans-Urals, that is, the old-developed regions of the country. This territory is characterized by acute problems caused by the spatial unevenness of development, despite its small area (against the northern and eastern regions of Russia). In the old-developed areas, the change of historical periods has led to the accumulation of achievements and problems. They continue to influence modern life in the form of the cultural heritage, the prevailing settlement pattern structure, local traditions, accumulated fixed assets, etc. The authors of the 17 articles of the special issue tried to identify the development trends and spatial socioeconomic contrasts, as well as their causes and consequences against the historical background. In the introductory article to the special issue, the authors give a brief overview of the articles presented in the journal.