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The Arctic coast dynamics has been an urgent problem over the last years, from both a practical and a fundamental point of view. In this research, for the first time for the Russian Arctic coast, we assessed the damage from the loss of territories in the western part of the Russian Arctic, where the active production and transportation of hydrocarbon material are carried out. Most of the studied coastline is composed of frozen unlithified soils with inclusions of underground ice. In this regard, the coastal zone is highly sensitive to climate change and its economic consequences. According to our investigation and literature data, the erosion rates could rich up to 2–3 m/year in some part of the coastline. Having estimated the cadastral cost of land and the area of the possible loss of territory, as well as the cost of transport infrastructure in the risk zone, we tried to predict the damage from changes in the total structure of the area under consideration. In particular, the economic damages from coastal permafrost processes were estimated. The assessment was conducted for the middle of the 21st century, taking into account the current climatic trend, erosion rate and probable maximum warming in this region.

The article presents an analysis of the prospects for infrastructure support for large investment projects in the mining industry on the coastal territory of the Northern Sea Route (those projects that should provide its cargo base in the long term). A value estimate was made for the transport infrastructure, which should appear before 2030. Its total value, according to calculations, is about 0.5 trillion rubles in 2021 prices. Of these, about 370 billion rubles related to the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and 160 billion rubles—to the Krasnoyarsk krai. The following key infrastructure projects were analyzed: the construction of the “Utrenny” liquefied natural gas and stable gas condensate terminal in the Sabetta seaport, the construction of the Northern Latitudinal Railway, the construction of the Bovanenkovo-Sabetta railway, the construction of oil and coal terminals in the seaport Dixon, reconstruction of the Tiksi and Pevek seaports. The results obtained are necessary for predicting damages from natural hazards caused by climate change. The study analyzed the key trends in the construction industry, the dynamics of investments in fixed assets and fixed assets (primarily by the type of activity “Transportation and storage”) in the territory of the key region that forms the cargo base of the Northern Sea Route—the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The analysis showed that the intensive dynamics characteristic of the fixed assets of the territory under consideration does not allow forecasting potential damage from climate change based on current data, but requires an assessment of the fixed assets value by the middle of the 21st century.

The article proposes a methodological approach to the typology of municipalities in the Russian Arctic based on spatially and temporally stable parameters and characteristics. Within the framework of the methodological approach, the factors of spatial typology are natural-climatic, geographical, socio-economic, infrastructural parameters, as well as the characteristics of the territorial development. The municipalities of the Russian Arctic are differentiated by the level of economic development, the prevailing economic specialization, the level of transport accessibility, the development of the settlement system, the density of the urban network, the natural and climatic conditions for the population, and the spread of permafrost. The research logical basis of the proposed methodological approach is the ABC-analysis method, through which natural-geographical and socio-economic profiles are formed for various Arctic municipalities. The combination of various types of typologies of the territory forms an integral typology of the Russian Arctic municipalities, within which four main groups are distinguished, arranged from the maximum (best) values of the studied indicators and characteristics to the minimum (worst). Resulting typology is created primarily for decision makers — officials of different territorial levels, as well as existing and potential investors who need quick and timely information in order to make decisions when there is no possibility of long-term analysis and interpretation of many disparate data for sixty-one Russian Arctic municipalities. Another possible area of application, already for narrower specialists, including scientists, is the use of a typology of Arctic municipalities for spatial development monitoring.

The article discusses modern approaches to measuring, evaluating and predicting cluster effects, proposes their classification, taking into account directly the effects of the activity of cluster formations, as well as effects outside the cluster formations—potential cluster effects. It offers an integral definition of the concept of “cluster effect,” the relationship of cluster effects with agglomeration effects is considered, and a methodology for assessing the potential of the socioeconomic environment of a region for the formation of clusters has been developed and tested.

The article is devoted to the problem of clustering possibility in Russian information technology industry (IT). The clustering potential concept and its significance in the framework of cluster policy measures modeling are considered. The article uses the example of the Russian IT industry to test the European Cluster Observatory model for clustering potential assessing. The main trends characterizing the change of the IT industry clustering potential in Russian regions were identified. The verification of the current cluster development priorities within the framework of the current state cluster policy was carried out. The regions of Russia that have a high potential for the new IT-cluster formation were identified. The directions for improving the methodological approach to assessing the clustering potential, taking into account the main factors of the information technology industry development, were proposed. The analysis helps to identify few important problems of the Russian IT industry development within the framework of the cluster development model, including a trend towards a decrease in indicators of the IT industry clustering potential for the most socially and economically developed Russian regions, an increase in the level of IT industry monopolization, and also an increase in the negative impact of barriers which preventing new companies from entering the Russian IT market.

This article introduced an assessment of the Moscow population vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards, taking into account the actual population size and its movement within different time cycles (daily and weekly-seasonal). The use of alternative information sources, allowing to obtain more detailed information about the state of socio-geographical systems, correlates with modern international approaches and corresponds to global trends in the methodological approaches modification to solve a wide range of issues. In this work, in addition to official statistical sources, we used data from mobile operators, which make it possible to characterize the localization of subscribers at a certain point in time with the maximum degree of reliability. This made it possible to significantly correct and clarify the currently existing ideas about the distribution of the population over the Moscow city territory. A series of maps has been created that demonstrate population density as a key vulnerability indicator in the context of Moscow municipalities according to Rosstat data and mobile operators information (at the beginning of 2020). In order to identify the discrepancy between the data on the statistically recorded and real existing population, an existing population assessment in the areas of potential technogenic impact of Moscow potentially dangerous enterprises was carried out. As a result of the study, it was shown that in terms of the natural hazard level, urban space differentiation is less pronounced than in terms of the technogenic hazard level. Technogenic hazards endanger the life and safety of not only the traditionally environmentally unfavorable city parts but also a number of prosperous and prestigious districts. It was found that the number of citizens in the zones of the most dangerous enterprises potential impact varies widely throughout the year—from 0.6 to 1.3 million people (on average it is 1 / 10 from all capital residents). These calculated results are much higher than official documents shows.

How sustainable are Russia’s Arctic cities? Russia’s far north metropolises are distinctive from other Arctic cities in terms of their large size, efforts to conquer nature, and big business’ impact on the urban landscape. The Russian Arctic cities’ Soviet-era design gave them compact and dense population structures. Such features led to many benefits for achieving sustainability, including more efficient energy use, a larger number of hospital beds, more numerous cultural amenities, and greater access to public transportation. However, Arctic cities outside of Russia have made progress in their own pursuit of sustainability through on-going investments, business development, educational resources, and solid waste management. By teasing out these distinctions, this article highlights urban features that make it possible for the cities to adapt to changes in the global environment and economy. In doing so, it provides the first multidisciplinary, comparative analysis of 46 Arctic cities employing historical, remote sensing, and quantitative methods. It demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of the world’s Arctic cities in their quest for sustainability and points to where they can learn from each other in adopting best practices. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01395-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The article proposes a methodological approach to potential damage from natural hazards forecasting in case of large-scale investment projects realization in ski tourism planning, as well as to assessing changes in the vulnerability of the territory in which these projects will be implemented. The method was verified on the data of the “Northern Caucasus Resorts” tourist cluster. The study purpose is the creation and verification of a methodology for socio-economic damage predicting in limit values and vulnerability changing in the regions of the “North Caucasus Resorts” tourist cluster objects localization for the long term. Research methods – statistical (a structural approach based on the identification of common structural patterns of several sets). The lack of statistical information on significant parameters for forecasting determine necessitates of using the various logically non-contradictory revaluations based on the identified structural similarities for the calculation of their values within the planning horizon. The study results and main conclusions – in case of the “North Caucasus Resorts” tourist cluster creation the number of people potentially located in avalanche and mudflow danger areas will significantly increase in all of its facilities localization municipalities, which indicate an increase in the individual risk of death level for this territory. The present population in the ski season in some of the most remote and underdeveloped areas can increase up to 30 times. The increment in the value of the fixed assets for the municipalities under consideration will be from two to 90 times, potential damages in limit values will reach tens of billions rubles.

The article identifies and analyzes the list of settlements in the Russian European Arctic regions that are not provided with year-round ground transport accessibility with another territory, that is, are not included in regional and federal land transport networks. The year-round ground transport accessibility concept is introduced as the availability of a year-round transport connection with the core federal highways network on hard-surface roads providing year-round operation along the entire length, or by rail, with possible transfers (congestion) between roads and by rail. A database and GIS of this settlements category are compiled; a quantitative assessment of the resident population living number in them is given. Quantitative estimates indicate an extreme unevenness between the settlements number in the existing Russian European Arctic settlement network and the distribution of their population. The features of the internal Arctic regions transport systems are identified and analyzed from their optimization point of view taking into account the isolated settlements presence. Based on the study, recommendations on specific problems of the island and other isolated territories development, including the use of “local” transport modes, transport and pedestrian infrastructure are formulated.

A major implication of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 involved the radical transformation of the national security system. Its fundamentally militaristic paradigm focused on civil defense to prepare and protect communities against the strikes of conventional and nuclear warheads. It called for a more comprehensive and balanced civil protection policy oriented primarily to the communities’ and facilities’ preparedness and response to natural hazards impact and disasters. This change in policy was further catalyzed by the catastrophic results of the major disasters in the late 1980s, such as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion of 1986 and the Armenian earthquake of 1988. As a result, in 1989, a specialized body was organized, the State Emergency Commission at the USSR Council of Ministers. A year later in the Russian Federation (at that time a part of the Soviet Union), an analogous commission was established. In 1991, it was reorganized into the State Committee for Civil Defense, Emergency Management, and Natural Disasters Response at the request of the president of the Russian Federation (EMERCOM). In 1994, this was replaced by the much more powerful Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergency Management, and Natural Disasters Response (which kept the abbreviation EMERCOM). In the early 21st century, this ministry is the key government body responsible for (a) development and implementation of the policy for civil defense and the regions’ protection from natural and technological hazards and disasters, and (b) leading and coordinating activities of the federal executive bodies in disaster policy areas within the Russian Federation’s Integrated State System for Emergency Prevention and Response (EPARIS). In addition, as well as in the former Soviet Union, the scientific and research organizations’ efforts to collect relevant data, monitor events, and conduct field and in-house studies to reduce the risk of disasters is crucially important. The nature of EPARIS is mainly a function of the geographic characteristics of the Russian Federation. These include the world’s largest national territory, which is vastly extended both longitudinally and latitudinally, a relatively populous Arctic region, large mountain systems, and other characteristics that create high diversity in the natural environment and combinations of natural hazards. Meanwhile, along with the natural conditions of significant size and a multiethnic composition of the population, distinctive features of a historical development path and institutional factors also contribute to diversity of settlement patterns, a high degree of economic development, and a level and quality of human life both within and between the regions of Russia. For instance, even within one of the region’s urbanized areas with a high-quality urban environment and developed socioeconomic institutions, neighboring communities exist with a traditional lifestyle and economic relations, primitive technological tools, and so on (e.g., indigenous small ethnic groups of the Russian North, Siberia, and the Far East). The massive spatial disparity of Russia creates different conditions for exposure and vulnerability of the regions to natural hazards’ impacts on communities and facilities, which has to be considered while preparing, responding to, and recovering from disasters. For this reason, EMERCOM’s organizational structure includes a central (federal) headquarters as well as Central, Northwestern, Siberian, Southern, and Moscow regional territorial branches and control centers for emergency management in all of the 85 administrative entities (subjects) of the Russian Federation. Specific features of both the EMERCOM territorial units and ministries and EPARIS as a whole coping with disasters are considered using the 2013 catastrophic flood in the Amur River basin in the Far East of Russia as a case study.