Aspects of distribution and growth of cities in the Volga federal district

The distribution of cities on the territory of Russia is unique: it ranks first by the size of territory and 181st in terms of population density in the world, causing the uneven spatial development and the growth of social inequality. The aim of the study is to define main characteristics of dis- tribution and growth of cities on the territory of the Volga Federal District of Russia. The paper will either validate or disprove the following hypotheses: the average population of the capital of the region is correlated with the distance to Moscow; there is an inverse relationship between the population density in the region and the distance to Moscow. The methodological basis included the comparative analysis and grouping method, the hypotheses will be tested with the help of the least square method, Gibrat‘s law will be applied to define the characteristics of growth of the cities. The objects of the study are the cities of the Volga Federal District in 2003, 2009, 2014, 2015. On the territory of the Volga Federal District there are five cities with population exceeding one million people (Ufa, Kazan, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, and Samara). The Samara Oblast is the most urbanized area, on its territory there is a large mono-city Tolyatti with machinery manufacturing as its city-forming branch. In nine regions of the Volga Federal District the population of the capital is more than the total population of other cities of the region that underlines the large differentiation of the cities by this indicator. When moving from Moscow to the provinces by 1%, the population density of the cities of the Volga Federal District decreases by 0.7%. In the Volga Federal District the growth rates of a few major cities are higher than those of small ones. The theoretical significance of this article is to supplement the methodological foundation of urban growth assessment (Gibrat’s law). The results of the study can be used in the activities of regional and municipal authorities and will allow one to givie scientific credence to the programs and strategies of socio-economic development of cities of the Volga Federal District.