The role of entrepreneurship in the revitalization of small towns in the non-chernozem region (on the example of Borovichi, Novgorod region)
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestniknat-2026-2-3
- Pages
- 42-58
Abstract
The study is aimed at examining small towns in the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia, with particular attention focused on the town of Borovichi in the Novgorod Region, whose socio-economic development dynamics largely resemble those of other similar towns (depopulation, reduction of human capital, contraction of the labor market, etc.). The paper presents a multi-scale analysis of the socio-economic development problems of small towns in the Non-Chernozem zone. The history of the formation and evolution of the functional development of Borovichi is analyzed in order to identify the predetermined nature of contemporary trends in spatial development. To determine the role of entrepreneurship in revitalizing the town, an assessment of the current state and development prospects of business was carried out in both sectoral and territorial dimensions. Based on official statistical data and expert interviews conducted by the author in February 2025, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Borovichi are presented. Drawing on field observations and the analysis of project documentation, the main areas and actors of environmental revitalization are identified, and cases of socio-economic revitalization under the auspices of business are examined. It has been established that SMEs differing in sectoral affiliation and scale exert different influences on the processes of urban space revitalization, while the effectiveness of entrepreneurial activity is largely determined by the combination of formal and informal institutional conditions ensuring the development of business as a driver of positive urban transformations.