People

Like many cities of the former Soviet Union, Moscow underwent three distinct periods of city restructuring. The city has changed dramatically since 1991, and is under changes from the Soviet era urban plans. Moscow’s population has enjoyed an explosion of capitalism, attracting investments from abroad erecting Moscow as Russia’s premier banking center and consumer capital. Following the collapse of the communist system, the restructuring of the political and economic systems has stimulated a great deal success for the city and has brought new meaning and purpose to the city. Moscow is significantly more well off than most other cities of Russia as a result of privileged inheritance of real estate from the former Soviet government, the Communist party. Service based economy has come about in Moscow such like banking, advertising, legal services etc. Moscow stands as one of the most expensive cities in the world. There has been a great increase in automobile ownership, creating immense traffic congestion. The population of Moscow is very diverse, and is increasingly becoming more multiethnic as a result of a large inflow of migrant laborers from other cities and former Soviet countries.

Along with much of its economic success, Moscow as a city has also had to face many social problems. Many of the economic reforms have resulted in tradeoffs, leaving many Russians jobless and creating a difficult environment for locating new work in a post Soviet economy. As a result, poverty has increased and has lead to an increase in sex work and trafficking. Women earn less than men and face higher rates of unemployment. Poverty has become an issue on the rise in Moscow, with 55000 homeless children on the streets. These children live an impoverished lifestyle that lead to in some cases illegal activities. The city is having a difficult time keeping these children off the streets and away from harmful illegal activities. These social problems are a result of the intense economic restructuring following the post Soviet era that have created tough domestic situations for many Russian households. The new economic and social changes that the people of Russia are transitioning into from the pre Soviet era are still a challenge to be met.

- Johann Lee