Moscow as an Emergent World City: International Links, Business Developments, and the Entrepreneurial City

Abstract

Using the "Informational City" concept of Castells and its extension to the world-city literature, this paper examines contemporary strategies of urban management in Moscow. The focus is on international communication trends transforming Moscow into an Informational City, manifested locally in the establishment of various types of business districts. Using detailed data (local postal zones), we examine the location of diverse business facilities, their restriction to particular types of urban environments, their relation to the geography of government organization, and the location of the financial sphere and trade (especially in luxury items). Moscow's transformation from Soviet to Informational City has produced a polarized city that increasingly fits the "citadel-ghetto" model. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O18, O19, R12. 3 figures, 3 tables, 71 references.