1. The Perils of Spatial Cloning: the case of Russia's ‘Silicon Valley’
Nadir Kinossian, IfL
Kevin Morgan, School of Geography and Planning Cardiff University
Innovation in Spatial Planning Conference, February 2016

2. Spatial planning challenges
Tackling spatial disparities
Negotiating conflicting interests
Balancing the goals of spatial equalisation and productivity

3. New Economic Geography
New Economic Geography champions “agglomeration”
Productivity and innovation are strongly correlated with agglomeration of economic activity
Economic growth is uneven but NEG argues that development can be inclusive if connectivity is good
The implication is that policy-makers should foster urban agglomerations not frustrate them
NEG provides the rationale for metro-centric economic policy, bordering on “metromania”

4. The limitations of NEG
Refers to the experiences of the most globally-oriented cities and regions
Less relevant for less privileged locations
Nevertheless, NEG ideas are influential – they have travelled far and fast in the academy and in the worlds of policy and practice through many different “carriers”

5. ‘Metromania’ – academic carriers

6. ‘Metromania’ – policy carriers

7. Where Russia’s wealth is generated: Share of GDP by region (2013)
Source: IFL Cartography Department using Rosstat data (2013).

8. Share of the national GDP in 2013, top-ten regions
Share in national GDP, %
Moscow
21,54%
Tyumen region
9,29%
Moscow region
4,72%
St. Petersburg
4,62%
Krasnodar kray
3,00%
Sverdlovsk region
2,94%
Tatarstan
2,86%
Bashkortostan
2,35%
Krasnoyarsk kray
2,33%
Samara region
1,93%
Total
55,57%

9. Rich and poor: GDP per capita by region in roubles (2000-2013)
2005
2010
2013
Minimum
6 668
17 435
48 239
88 462
Maximum
Average
30 488
98 615
Standard deviation
18 062
85 250

10. Tackling spatial disparities: policy context
The spatial policy framework is incoherent;
The central government intervenes directly tackling specific problems using a plethora of tools (budget transfers, grants, special development zones, mega-projects…)

11. Main actors
Putin: we should start with the territories around large economic centres.
Consultants, think tanks
Cities and Regions

12. Case study: the Skolkovo Innovation Centre
A 400-hectar site outside Moscow
Five “high-tech sectors” including energy, IT, telecommunication, biomedical and nuclear research
Development and commercialisation of new technologies
Special planning, fiscal and immigration arrangements
Excellent conditions for work and life
Leading Western consultants and designers

13. Location of the Skolkovo Innovation Centre

14. Proposal by Arep (2010)

15. Project in making (2015) Source: RBC

16. What is innovative about Skolkovo?
Co-locating research, development and commercialisation activities;
Ex-territorial entity linked with the global markets and flows;
Special governing regime
Designed according to perceived ‘best practices’

17. ‘Collateral damage’: doing innovation under political authoritarianism
Scandals, investigations of embezzlement;
Is not immune to arbitrary prosecution and harassment by law enforcement agencies;
De facto annexed Crimea and associated regime of western sanctions, capital flight, ban on technology transfer;
Shifting policy priorities, funding withdrawals, new areas of ‘utmost importance’;
Weak demand for innovation under political authoritarianism and resource-based economy

18. Spatial innovation or lack of it?
This study is not about a specific case but approaches to spatial planning:
Arbitrary rather than systemic reform of spatial planning;
Growing spatial polarisation in a highly polarised country;
Fragmentation of state space and regulatory regimes;
Potential conflicts between prioritised and non-prioritised spaces; ordinary and special; strategic and non-strategic spaces.

19. Conclusions Skolkovo is a project in making;
Skolkovo is legitimized via neoliberal pro-growth rhetoric – but in reality, initiated, funded and governed by the state;
Most problematic is the attempt to produce innovations by ‘spatial cloning’ and failure to populate spatial form with meaning;
Need for more comparative research at global scale to: explore the limitations of the western models as original ideas take a grotesque form.

20. References
EBRD (2012) Diversifying Russia. Harnessing regional diversity. URL: (Accessed 13 March 2014).
Glaeser E. (2011) Triumph of the City. London: Pan Books.
Katz, B. and Bradley, J. (2013) The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy. Washington: The Brookings Institution.
Kinossian N and Morgan K (2014) Development by decree: the limits of “Authoritarian Modernization” in the Russian Federation. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 38(5), pp
World Bank (2011) Russia. Reshaping economic geography. World Bank, Washington, DC. URL: (accessed 14 August 2015).