A comparative analysis of the historical process of urbanization in China and Russia

Nowadays, China and Russia face several urbanization obstacles. China suffers from the slow progress of urbanization and its incompatibility with the rapid economic development while urbanization in Russia has been stagnating in recent years. It is possible to determine common factors influencing the urbanization processes in both countries and contribute to its further development through a comparative analysis. The purpose of the study is to correlate different ways of urbanization in China and Russia and identify the reasons for different results. The research is based on a comparative approach providing a horizontal comparison of urbanization in two countries according to ways of urbanization, the role of governments in this process, urbanization problems and their solutions. The research considers the historical aspect of the urbanization in the countries under review. In the era of the USSR, there was a great shift from the agricultural society to the industrial one based on industrialization and the establishment of a planned economy. Urbanization reached a peak during the construction of the Soviet state while Chinese urbanization continued to exist after the construction of the Socialist state. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, urbanization slowed down. When the Chinese reforms were implemented and the open society was created due to industrialization and both services and banking capital promotion, the rate of urbanization was increased. The authors provide recommendations for urbanization development in Russia and China in the modern context.