Perception and Representation of the Moscow Periphery: A Case Study of Yasenevo

Abstract

The peripheral districts of Moscow are ambiguously perceived by residents in terms of communication with the city center. The residential identification of their district in the city as a center-peripheral system is distorted under the influence of the features of the local context. Using the example of Yasenevo district, this article answers the following questions: what are the differences between the representation of the district by its residents and the conditionally objective characteristics of its socio-economic situation? What are the possible reasons for these differences?

The research paper provides a better understanding of a number of significant differences in the socio-economic characteristics of Yasenevo’s location on the edge of the city and their perception. Considerably the most significant reasons for these differences are the historical context of the area’s development and the existing subjective perceptions of residents about Yasenevo as a young and green district, which are only partially confirmed by statistics. Because of its location and partial isolation, the district is not perceived by residents as an urban periphery in the context of city-wide central-peripheral relations, but represents a similar system itself due to its unique planning structure.