The second generation of post-socialist change: Gorky Park and public space in Moscow

Abstract

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, public spaces in Moscow and in other post-socialist cities underwent dramatic changes in line with the wider adaptation to the market economy, epitomized in processes of privatization and commercialization. Most recently, however, these processes have been overshadowed by a “second generation” of post-socialist change that entails the recasting of the very conception of the public and public space. In this paper, we analyze these transformations in Moscow through a case study of the reconstruction of Gorky Park. The case study builds upon extensive empirical material collected through qualitative interviews, document and media studies, and on-site observations. It is shown that despite appealing to ideas of openness, livability and the public good, the park reconstruction in fact entails the production of socially divisive urban space that prioritizes consumerism at the cost of less-scripted and diverse public life.

Keywords:

• public space
• post-socialist cities
• neoliberalism
• park reconstruction
• Moscow
• Gorky Park

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Ulf Jansson for help with the map and Figure 4 and to Stefan Ene for help with the base map, both at the Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University. Many thanks also to all the respondents who made this study possible.

Notes

1. Pejorative, literally “cattle,” used to describe people perceived to be uncultured and/or badly behaved.

Additional information

Funding

Alexander Kalyukin would like to thank the Swedish Institute (SI) for a Visby Programme scholarship which made this research possible. Thomas Borén and Andrew Byerley did not have any special funding for this research.