Abstract: The subject of this article is a monographic research of the Senior Scientific Associate of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. V. Belova, which is focused on the large-scale transformations that took place in urban life of the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II. The author of the monograph seeks to characterize the reforms based on the example of four provinces of Central Russia: Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, and Kaluga. This work vastly uses published and unpublished sources, as well as a significant array of research literature. The peer-reviewed work leans on the principles of historicism, reliability, objectivity; methodological framework includes systematic approach and comparative method. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the author attempts to give comprehensive characteristics to preparation, implementation and consequences of the city reform carried out by the Empress Catherine, attracting the materials from four Russian “indigenous” provinces. The author believes that despite certain doubts of both, contemporaries and future historians, especially of the liberal school, namely the reforms of Catherine the Great laid the foundations for the fundamentally new type of a city that met the requirements of the time.

Keywords: beautification, economy, administration, contradictions, Central Russia, Catherine the Great, reform, city, achievement, experience

Abstract: The subject of the research is the work of young sociologists from Nizhny Novgorod, E.A. Urusova and T.M. Khusyainova, in which the sociocultural changes taking place before our eyes in the megalopolis are shown. The authors strive to show the need for equal access to the urban environment of various social groups, including people with disabilities. They see an important role in the formation of megacities in the creative space, which gives previously unprecedented opportunities for the creative development of individuals. The peer-reviewed paper is based on the principles of analysis and synthesis, reliability, objectivity, and a systematic approach serves as the methodological basis. The authors also use the methods of social research, in particular the survey.The scientific novelty of the article under review is determined by the fact that the authors strive to show the processes of influence of the urban space of the megalopolis on the communicative and creative possibilities of its inhabitants, including the disabled. When solving issues of creating a barrier-free environment, the authors draw attention not only to architectural, but also to social components.

Keywords: accessible medium, social dialogue, creative city, communication sphere, metropolis, review, sociology of the city, friendliness, self-presentation, partnership