Moscow is the largest city in Russia, the capital of the Russian Federation. It is a city of federal significance, as well as the administrative center of the Central Federal District. Moscow is the largest city in Russia. The number of inhabitants is 12 and a half million people. It is also the largest financial, industrial and tourist center of the country.
The area of the capital is 2562 square meters. km, population density - 4883 people / sq. km The city is divided into 12 administrative districts. In total, they include 125 districts, two urban districts and 19 settlements.
The geographical position of the city
Moscow is located in the center of the European territory of Russia and the East European Plain, between the Volga and Oka rivers. Approximately 1/3 of the city of Moscow is located within the Moscow Ring Highway (MKAD).
How the territory of Moscow grew
Moscow grew throughout its long history. All new settlements were involved in its composition, new areas appeared. The city grew very quickly from 1916 to 1935, when its area increased by almost 3 times, and the number of inhabitants grew by 1.8 million people. The fastest population growth rates were recorded from 1995 to 2012 - by 2.9 million people. However, the urban territory during this period remained unchanged.
Along with population growth, the number of cars grew. Already in 2010, motorization exceeded the level that was planned only by 2025. The annual growth in the number of personal cars is about 5%. Along with the increase in the number of cars, a street-road network is also developing, but this process is not able to compensate for the growing load. Therefore, traffic jams and traffic jams became a real problem for the capital.
Another feature of the development and expansion of the metropolis is territorial differences. The most turbulent life boils in the center, where there are a large number of offices. At the same time, they say that from the outside of the Moscow Ring Road, the quality of life of the population is already declining significantly. Thus, monocentrism is typical for Moscow. A turning point could be the transition to the polycentric structure of the city, involving the emergence of several key centers in different parts of it.
Features of the expansion of the borders of Moscow in 2011–2012
In 2011-2012, the city experienced the most extensive reconstruction. It included the vast territories of the Moscow region in the southwest, as well as some other areas. As a result, the total area of Moscow increased by 2.4 times. The purpose of expanding the territory of the capital was to combat the monocentric agglomeration and improve zoning.
The expansion plan of Moscow itself was called “New Moscow”, but the capital’s government preferred to call it “Big Moscow”.
The population of the city took the idea of such an expansion ambiguously. About 40 percent were in favor, the same against, and another 18% did not have a clear opinion.
A significant increase in urban sizes affected the position of Moscow in the ranking of world cities by area. From the former 11th place, the capital rose to the sixth in the list of the largest cities. However, a large population growth did not occur and Moscow retained 7th place in terms of the number of inhabitants in the world. The total increase was 250 thousand people.
It was assumed that the expansion of the borders of Moscow will lead to the creation of 1 million jobs, and 2 million people will receive new housing. The total cost of the formation of New Moscow amounted to 11 trillion rubles. The bulk of this amount went to the construction of new facilities.
The problem of public transport
The most difficult problem in New Moscow is the problem of public transport. To solve it, it is planned to carry out additional routes of ground public transport, more active use of the railways of the Belarusian, Kiev and Kursk directions of the Moscow Railway, the construction of new metro lines.
What was attached to Moscow in 2012
The events of 2012 are considered the most important in the history of the capital. The new expansion project of Moscow was very different from previous general plans. So, 148 thousand hectares of land belonging to the southwestern suburbs were added to the city. Nothing of the kind was previously envisaged. In total, 21 municipalities were joined, including 2 urban districts (Scherbinka and Troitsk), as well as 19 urban and rural settlements that were previously located in the Leninsky, Podolsky, Naro-Fominsk districts of the region. In addition to them, part of the territories of the Krasnogorsk and Odintsovo districts fell into the city limits.
As a result of all these changes, 2 new urban districts were formed: Novomoskovsky and Troitsky. And the total population of the capital was 235 thousand people.
What gave an increase in the territory of the city?
The annexation of the territories was associated with attempts to solve the difficult transport situation, the problem of overpopulation and too strong orientation of Moscow to its center. In accordance with the new urban development policy, the priority is now the fight against monocentricity and movement towards polycentricity. It is assumed that as a result, new centers of business activity and new jobs for city residents are being formed in Moscow. This will provide good opportunities for the stable development of the economy of the metropolis for a long time to come.
What will happen to the territory of Moscow in 2019-2020
The prospects for the development of the city are largely connected with the further expansion of New Moscow due to the accession of increasingly large areas of the region. In the coming years, the city’s borders will increasingly move away from the Moscow Ring Road. It is assumed that the benefits of joining the territories will be not only to Moscow itself, but also to those settlements that are within the city boundaries. In such cities and villages, the transport situation will improve, the number of traffic jams will decrease, and modern infrastructure will appear. At the same time, existing green spaces will be preserved, which will improve the environmental situation in the metropolis.
Why the expansion of the territory of Moscow is a necessary measure
One of the main reasons is the lack of land due to population growth in the city. Another important motive is the constant increase in capital inflows, which is associated with sustainable economic and social development, and, as a consequence, the attractiveness of the capital for investment. It is no secret that Moscow is the most successful city in Russia. In particular, in the Moscow region the situation with the economy is much worse. It is affected by a lack of jobs, poor infrastructure development, and transportation problems. It has become unprofitable for many companies to build high-rise buildings in the region.
Another reason is the desire of many Muscovites to live closer to the city outskirts, where better ecology, more greenery and not so dense buildings. They are ready to exchange their apartment in the city center for another, if only it would be closer to the outskirts. At the same time, they want to remain Muscovites, and not become residents of the Moscow region, otherwise their material and financial situation will deteriorate sharply. It is also important for them that there are points nearby where you can get a job, and this is precisely the metropolitan job.
Despite the vast territory of the country, Moscow has a very dense development. So, it is several times higher than in Paris, London and other capital cities of Europe. The population of the central part is sorely lacking in living space.
For residents of the cities of the Moscow region who will be in the capital, there will be huge advantages. They don’t even have to move anywhere, they automatically become Muscovites. With all the ensuing advantages.
The city authorities also have their own interest. The fact is that beyond the Moscow Ring Road from the Moscow Region there are a large number of significant outlets with which large financial flows are associated. If these territories are within the boundaries of the city of Moscow, then all these revenues will go to the capital, and not to the region, as before accession.
Pros from the extension
- Improving the environmental situation. The city will receive some unloading, new parks will be created. Waste disposal control will be strengthened.
- Benefit for residents. Those who lived in the expansion zone of Moscow will receive all the advantages of being a resident of the capital.
- Unloading the transport system. A more even distribution of residents and the construction of new interchanges can improve the transport situation in the Russian capital.
Possible cons of expansion
Cons of the expansion of the city of Moscow are extremely small. Basically, this is a loss of independence in the annexed territories, a complication in the distribution of the city budget. For the region, the expansion of Moscow will mean a decrease in territory.
Conclusion
Thus, the expansion of Moscow is a long, but uneven in speed process, often due to the natural growth of the population of the city. Many areas of the metropolis used to be part of the area. The most radical stage of expansion occurred in 2011-2012, when a huge part of the Moscow region southwest of the former borders of the capital became part of the urban territory. In the coming years, such an expansion is not expected. But the borders of Moscow will continue to move further away from the Moscow Ring Road, as the population of the city increases and the emergence of new microdistricts is associated with this. Along with the expansion of the city, the transport network of the capital is expanding.