Socioeconomic Space between Moscow and St. Petersburg: Old Problems and New Trends

The strong socioeconomic contrast between Moscow and St. Petersburg requires a comprehensive approach to its study, including an interrelated, multiscale analysis of past and current demographic, migration, and economic trends. The degree of modern intraregional demographic and economic contrast between Moscow and St. Petersburg is shown, with a more detailed examination of Tver, Novgorod, and Pskov oblasts. The population dynamics of cities and rural areas and the balance of intraregional, interregional, and international migration at different distances from regional centers are associated with both the modern spatial specifics of the economic development of the macroregion and the accumulated population losses over half a century. This made it possible to show changes in settlement pattern since 1959, background economic sectors from 1990 to 2023–2024, as well as modern spatial contrasts. Both the deep-rooted problems of the macroregion and the possible consequences of spatial socioeconomic concentration are identified. Differences in wages, as well as trends in the transformation of the agro- and forestry complexes outside of cities, were studied as factors “attracting” or “repeling” the population from their places of residence. The influence of modern processes of enterprise transformation on their location and employment of the population is shown. Relatively successful and the most problematic territories have been identified, declining roles of many municipal centers have been demonstrated, due to their depopulation and partial economic degradation (including the core settlements proposed in the Strategy for Spatial Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030 with a Forecast up to 2036, adopted in 2024). The study is based on a multiscale statistical analysis of regions, municipalities and populated areas. The use of maps and graphs, including those showing the degree of remoteness from the main centers of the regions, made it possible to identify and attempt to explain the existing intra-regional socioeconomic contrasts.