Abstract: In this article, the authors attempt to comprehend the modern city and, in particular, the metropolis from the perspective of a semiotic approach, as well as conceptualize it as a space of human cultural existence. Thus, the subject of the article is the social and cultural space of a modern city. The authors of the article rely on the idea that the "cultural centers" in the city and the metropolis for a long time, according to three cultural objects centering urban life: this is a castle, a temple and a market, which traditionally embodied the dichotomy of the sacred and profane in the socio-cultural space of the city. The temple was a place not only of religious worship, but also of human formation. In turn, in the market (market square), the citizen was formed as an autonomous individual competing with others.   A special contribution of the authors to the study of the topic is that the authors come to the following conclusion:in the absence of value-based moral supports and the transformation of the "sacred", such a category as interesting, considered and analyzed in the article, became a reflection of the indefatigable thirst for the new as new, the pursuit of the illusion of happiness and the elusive fullness of life. In this regard, according to the authors of the article, the question becomes legitimate in this sense: is the harmonization of tradition and innovation, the dialectics of the dichotomies of the sacred-profane and innovative-provocative able to become a condition for preserving the metaphysics of the city, which develops if not for centuries, then for sure not for one decade and is measured by the life of more than one generation of citizens?

Keywords: public spaces, cultural policy, citizen, collective identity, symbolic boundaries, interesting, urban culture, cultural events, urban environment, creativity

Abstract: The subject of this research is the impact of university brand upon the actual and potential development of the city. This article examines such correlation on the example of impact of Irkutsk State University brand upon the city of Irkutsk, its image, social and intellectual capital in the past, present and future; analyzes the perception of university within urban environment by the city dwellers as a way to preserve the past, understand the present and form the future. Irkutsk State University form the city’s sociocultural environment and defines the peculiarities of its development. Research methodology is structured on combination of the symbolic, structural-functional and constructivist approaches; applies the methods of survey and expert interview, as well as trans-symbolic analysis of interview and questionnaires for data processing. The main conclusion of the conducted research lies in the statement that the role of university brand in development of the local city is pivotal. Using the example of Irkutsk State University, the author is able to trace the peculiarities of social reproduction modelling, in which the university manifests as the fundamental sphere for preserving the past, forming the present and developing the future of the city of Irkutsk.

Keywords: growth prospects, dynamics, development, city, image, university, brand, social reproduction, development of the territory, social leadership

Abstract: In modern metropolises, there is an entire spectrum of open spaces, which includes city squares, parks, river walks, naturally formed landscapes, curtilage in residential developments, and others. Often their appearance contributes not only to sociocultural, but economic development of the territory as well. Social space is an incubator of urban development, assigned with an important role in establishment of the holistic sociocultural structure of the city that ensures relevance of the selected topic, which subject is the public territories. The author examines the link between the sociocultural development of the territory and social space as a new vector of its development, using the methods of theoretical analysis of the scientific-methodological literature and open Internet sources for the extensive coverage of the question at hand, as well as the methods of comparison, analogy, and generalization. The scientific novelty consists in introducing characteristics to the concepts of social and cultural spaces, as well as analyzing the project practices of formation of the social spaces, implemented within the framework of national project of the Strategic Initiatives Agency “Far from the Capitals”. The presented in the article analysis of formation of the experimental open platforms allows concluding that the social spaces are capable of making changes in life of the city, which requires the search for the new ways and methods for their creation, preservation, and modernization.

Keywords: local territories, city environment, urban centre, public space, cultural space, social space, cultural environment, socio-cultural space, free time, flexibility of the urban environment

Abstract: This article presents the separate aspects of possible change of climate and living conditions as a result of economic activity of a man under the circumstances of the spread of permafrost within the boundaries of rural settlements. Special attention is given to observations of the indigenous population of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) with regards to changes taking place over the recent decade in climate and cryogenic landforms, as well as their impact upon the residential construction, farm buildings, and rural landscape. As an area of research the authors selected the transfluvial districts of the Sakha Republic appurtenant to Leno-Amginsk Interfluve and occupying the southeastern suburb of the Central Yakut Lowland. The authors explored the residential construction, housing of the respondents, and farming buildings, as well as carried out a patterned interview with the members of the households. The socioeconomic development of such northern region as Sakha Republic (Yakutia) strongly depends on the climatic and geographical factors. The indigenous population, engaged in the traditional natural resource managements and agriculture, is first to face the climate changes. Residents of region, especially from the rural area, in the arctic and northern regions always observe the weather changes, because their economic activity directly depends upon. At the same time, of great interest are the issues of adaptation of the ingenious population towards the occurring transformations and the attitude to climatic processes.

Keywords: Residential construction, Region, Method of observation, Living conditions, Climate, Indigenous population, Sociological survey, Rural settlements, Economic activity, Cryogenic landforms

Abstract: The object of this research is basilica as a sociocultural phenomenon. It represents one of the unique architectural forms, which epitomizes the harmony of beauty and utility. The authors thoroughly examine the evolution of secular basilica that sequentially manifests as a residential, judicial, and financial-economic building. During the process of “Christianization” of basilica, we could observe the adjustment of the archaic symbolic. The technological methods of ancient art, filled with the Biblical content, were implemented in mural paintings and creation of the mosaic floor. Thus, the subject of this research is the transformation process from a secular construct into the Christian temple. The methodological basis of this work consists in the following concepts, which allow revealing the multifacetedness of the phenomenon of basilica: theory of architecture; sociology of space and architecture; sociology of culture, religion; sociology of city. The conducted research determined the pragmatics and symbolic of the transformation of basilica from the secular construct to religious building. The authors make a conclusion on the complex mechanism of sacralization.

Keywords: Ancient Greek basilica, functions of basilica, Christian basilica, secular basilica, mural painting, sociology, social area, architecture, Ancient Roman basilica, religious building

Abstract: The subject of this study includes conceptual and methodological approaches to the visual perception of the image of the city. This problem has become relevant in modern urban planning, and plenty of curious methods for studying the visual image of the city emerged over the past 10-15 years. The critical analysis of this method and the rationalization of choosing the visual image of the city as the subject of study for further empirical research has defined the topic of study in this science article. Thus, the article represents a proposition for a study of the visual image of the city to be conducted in accordance with the rationalized choice of the methodological strategy. The main method is the critical analysis of existing concepts and methods, monitoring of cutting-edge urban studies in order to choose the most relevant and efficient method for further empirical studies. While studying the visual perception of the image of the city, the author uncovered that researchers in this field use both, general and special methods. The general methods for researching the visual image of the city include questionnaires, sociological surveys, interview and content-analysis. Special methods of researching the visual image of the city involve the analysis of mental mapping, architectural semantic differentials, video- and photo content analysis, go-along, auto ethnography and decoding.

Keywords: methodology, visuality, image, city, the urbanistic anthropology, cultural studies, social studies, visual perception, common methods, special methods