2020 Issue №3

The “gravitational force” of the sea is an important factor in regional de­velopment, and though it has not been sufficiently studied, it has received in­creasing attention in the last two decades. The article focuses on the economic features of 11 federal subjects of the Russian Federation located along its mar­itime borders in the west of the Arctic, Baltic and Azov-Black Sea basins. The regions under study vary from each other, but each of them plays a vital role in the country's economy. The author aims to identify their typological differ­ences in order to improve federal and regional policy towards to the coastal re­gions of the Western Borderlands. To attain the goal, first, the types of regions under study were identified (according to the selected typological features re­flecting the main natural and socio-economic characteristics of the regions) then GRP level, structure and growth rates were considered. The analysis re­sulted in the overall assessment of the socio-economic situation in regions of different types. Considering the typological features of the regions, the pro­spects for their future development based on the strengthening of the coastal factor are outlined.

The article focuses on the results of a sociological survey of the city resi­dents the main purpose of which is to identify the features of the geographical image of their city. The authors attempt at answering the question whether the comprehensive image of urban geospace coincides with the urban devel­opment tasks stated by the urban planners, city government and architects. The methodology designed by the authors determines the interview as a pri­mary tool for collecting research material. The online platform attracted the citizens’ attention to the issues of urban development and drew the most open answers to a number of key challenges in the development of Kaliningrad. The obtained results indicate that the popular image of the city is not fully con­sistent with its development strategy. The findings brought a number of rec­ommendations to promote the image strategy of Kaliningrad.