Russia's early developed regions within shrinking social and economic space

The study deals with the role of early developed Russia's regions, along with the corresponding concepts. The older regions are regarded as those at a certain age, development level and of a certain economic type, chiefly industrial and agricultural, concentrated in the European part of today's Russia, especially in its historic cores. The changes in their position and perception, associated with political, economical, social and demographical shifts, which affected the country's space before and after the collapse of the USSR, are analyzed. It is shown that under dominating processes of spatial polarization and shrinkage, the older regions also experience a dissection, mainly along the center-periphery axis. This is illustrated by two specific case studies in Central Russia around Moscow and in the area between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Finally, four alternative strategic scenarios for the areas of concern are presented, dependent on the attitude to the question of their revival: a) acceleration of shrinkage for reasons of economy; b) an orderly retreat from selected hopeless old areas; c) deterrence of their decay; and d) search and enhancing of a return development wave.