“Summer Towns” in the North of the Moscow Region: Seasonal Population as a Factor in the Transformation of Rural Areas

Abstract

One of the main features around large cities in many countries is the presence of seasonal settlements, in which second homes of city residents are located. People use them seasonally or occasionally, most often for leisure and to escape from hustle and bustle of city life. In Russia, such settlements are represented mainly by non-profit gardening associations, and houses located on their land are traditionally called dachas. This paper focuses on the recreationally attractive northern areas of the Moscow Region, where seasonal summer towns evolved on former peat mining lands. Their summer population significantly exceeds the permanent population of the surrounding settlements. The example of summer towns illustrates the economic interaction between the city and its surroundings. The land on which peat mining was carried out in the first half of the 20th century to supply Moscow, after the transition of power plants to natural gas in the second half of the 20th century, was re-cultivated thanks to the efforts of summer residents. The role of land plots is also changing; initially issued as a place for subsistence farming in crisis years, they fulfilled the purpose of food production, and are now used mainly for recreation. Summer towns differ significantly from the countryside in which they are located, and from an economic point of view, they become drivers for the local economy. Rural residents find jobs in the service sector, and summer cafes and fast food markets are springing up in summer towns along with hardware stores and food markets, reflecting the translation of urban lifestyles into the countryside through seasonal inhabitation of dachas.