Specifics of seasonal settlements in Moscow region according to the results of the Moscow mayor elections 2018

Most of seasonal second homes of Russians are located in gardeners’ associations being a component of modern urbanized settlement. Now in Russia there are about 14 million garden plots, which are used at least by 40 million people. The greatest number of gardeners’ associations (over 11.5 thousand) is registered in Moscow region. Their seasonal population can make up to 4 million people, and some of them live in summer homes most of the year, thus turning them actually into places of permanent residence. This trend is supported by new laws regulating registration of gardeners’ associations. An indirect indicator of this is the number of voters who took part in the Moscow Mayor elections in suburban areas in September 2018. The importance of summer residents increases with the distance from the capital, and more than half of the «suburban» polling stations were located in the middle and far suburbs, or even in neighboring regions. The very fact of the organization of suburban polling stations indicates a change in the role of gardeners’ associations, which become an impetus of socio-economic development in Moscow region. This is especially important for areas that have lost major industries. It is clearly seen on the example of the «gardeners’ conglomerates» that have emerged on the former peat mine lands in Moscow region, where seasonal population now exceeds the number of permanent residents of the surrounding settlements. «Gardeners’ conglomerates» can provide local population with jobs that is particularly important for marginal areas of the region.