Tag Archives: Russia

Soviet-era and Russian Monotowns

In Russia, cities and towns whose economy and existence are largely tied to a single, dominating industry are referred as “Monotowns,” which is short for Monofunctional Towns (or Cities). These are basically their equivalent to the Western terminology of “Company Towns.” Most … Continue reading

Posted in business, cities, civics, commerce, Economy, geography, health, history, humanity, industry, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mining, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, poverty, Russia, social equity, sustainability, Trade, transportation, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two ideologies, two plutonium programs, and too reckless!

http:// (*see note at bottom of the post) The more read about the Cold War, the more I am convinced that both sides lost. Not only did both the Americans and Soviets/Russians gut large parts of their economies by wasting … Continue reading

Posted in atomic age, book reviews, books, cities, civics, culture, economic development, energy, environment, geography, government, health, Health care, history, humanity, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Maps, military, peace, place names, planning, politics, pollution, product design, rivers/watersheds, Russia, Science, social equity, Statistics, technology, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Atomic “doomtowns” contaminated by the Kyshtym Disaster

The two (2) most well-known peacetime atomic/nuclear disasters are Fukushima in 2011 and Chernobyl in 1986. However, what is considered the third most serious atomic/nuclear disaster? No, it is not Three Mile Island… The third most serious peacetime atomic/nuclear disaster in … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, Asia, atomic age, cities, environment, Europe, geography, health, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, nature, place names, politics, pollution, Russia, Science, sustainability, topography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Hydrograds” built by the former Soviet Union

  Following last week’s post on American Hydrograds, this blogpost explores the “Hydrograds“ built by the former Soviet Union. Hydrograds are cities and towns constructed specifically to house workers building the hydroelectric project, as well as the support staff to … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, cities, culture, energy, Europe, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, rivers/watersheds, Russia, spatial design, technology, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Atomic “doomtowns” that once surrounded Chernobyl

The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when reactor #4 exploded. Before being brought under control weeks later, extreme levels of radiation had spread outward from the nuclear plant by both wind and rain. This inundated communities all … Continue reading

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Soviet-era “Atomgrads,” part 1 – Nuclear Weapon Cities

http:// During the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed a series of “Atomgrads“ or nuclear cities.   Nearly all of these cities were newly planned and designed to provide housing and community services for the future scientists and their families … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, atomic age, cities, culture, economic development, energy, environment, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, Maps, military, place names, placemaking, planning, pollution, Russia, Science, Statistics, technology, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Largest “grad” suffix cities and towns on the planet

The following list identifies all the cities and towns exceeding 1,000 in population that have the suffix “grad” in their name. The Old Slavic term “grad” means city, town, or castle. Beograd (Belgrade) and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) are by far … Continue reading

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Russian cities that arose from the Gulag era

Below is a list of some of the larger cities that were founded, built, or significantly enhanced through Gulag-era forced labor. If the city was founded during the Soviet Union’s Gulag era, the date is provided in parenthesis. Otherwise, the … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, cities, culture, Europe, geography, human rights, humanity, land use, Mining, pictures, place names, politics, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

World’s largest cities above 60 degrees north latitude – UPDATED

  At the end of this post is a list of the 17 northernmost cities in the world with a population of 100,000 or more residents and which are situated at a minimum of 60 degrees north latitude. Metro area … Continue reading

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Spectacular images of Arctic/Boreal river deltas

Above and below are several amazing satellite images of Arctic and Boreal river deltas. Most of these reflect the classic fan-tail shape and even resemble trees (or tree roots) from space, with their main channel as the trunk and meandering … Continue reading

Posted in aerospace, Asia, Canada, environment, Europe, geography, land use, Maps, nature, North America, Outer Space, pictures, rivers/watersheds, seasons, transportation, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment