ARCtic Urban SUStainability in Russia

Arctic Urban Sustainability in Russia (ARCSUS) Norwegian Research Council Project Number 220613 Over the next decade, most of the world's population will live in cities, spaces of urban development that provide a core of centralized services expec ted by city-dwellers including but not limited to efficient and affordable public transportation, high-tech service options, diverse meeting spaces for social engagement and education, advancement of innovative solutions, etc. By all accounts, as the Arctic becomes more industrialized and as populations from the global South migrate northwards and as Northerners themselves choose to live in central regions in the High North, the Arctic will also experience such dramatic shifts in population growth and development. We are already seeing these phenomena in the Russian Arctic where massive industrialization and enormous cities have existed since the Second World War. Yet, Russian Arctic cities are now shrinking compared with other parts of the Arctic. The urban Russian Arctic offers salient examples of both good and bad practices that may be relevant for other urban settlements in other parts of the Arctic. Our task in the first year of ARCSUS was to map how to tackle the question of the sustainability of Russian Arctic cities, not only geographically but conceptually. Thus we have divided up the Russian Arctic to include cities such as Murmansk, Nikel, Monchegorsk, Salekhard, Noril'sk, Yakutsk, Khanty-Mansiisk, in comparative perspective to Sala, Tromsø, Kiruna, Kirkenes, La Ronge, and others. We also endeavour to define what urban means in the Arctic context. Clearly "urban" or "city" in Russia has a different meaning in other parts of the Arctic. Moreover, we have explored the meaning of "sustainability" --social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental. Again, the definition shifts as we go across the municipalities in the Russian Arctic and as we cross borders to other municipalities in the High North. Thus, as we concentrate on the Arctic Urban Sustainability in Russia, we have asked: - how will municipalities provide jobs for increased populations?; - how will they provide services for multicultural newcomers who may demand other cultural and religious provisions within a metropolitan framework?; - how will cities answer citizens' demands for sustainability, environmentally responsible practices, and energy efficiency even in the midst of growing resource extractive industries in Arctic regions? - What are the strategies of cities to diversify economies to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in order to attract and keep people dedicated to the development and success of the cities in which they live? - How do policy-makers work to make their cities attractive for both residents and visitors alike in order for communities, economies, and polities to thrive sustainably? - How do urban Arctic cities meet the challenges of climate change on all of the above challenges as well as the infrastructure stresses that are expected because of changes in weather and temperature? - And importantly, in these times, how do geopolitical decisions affect policies towards and in Arctic cities in Russia and in the Circumpolar North? Moreover, we continue to compare Russian Arctic cities with other urban spaces in the circumpolar North. Consisting of ten consortia partners, we pose these questions alongside students from our various home Universities. Already, a group of graduate and undergraduate students from The George Washington University and Moscow State University did field work in Siberia over the summer. And graduate students from the University of Saskatchewan and The Barents Institute at the University of Tromsø are taking part in the documents research for ARCSUS. The capacity-building component is a key aspect of the ARCSUS project that ensures knowledge transfer to young scientists pursuing questions of Arctic urban sustainability in Russia compared to other parts of the Arctic.

The objective of ARCSUS is to advance a new research frontier by expanding understanding of Arctic urban sustainability in Russia. The project will bring together an international, multi-disciplinary team of scholars to research and examine the impact of energy resource development, extractive industries, demographic trends, and climate change on the ability of urban settlements in Russia's Arctic region to exist in a sustainable way with their environment. While there is considerable research on various aspects of Arctic sustainability, few works take a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the role of cities and their related industries. ARCSUS is divided into 6 Work Packages covering: 1) Natural Resources - How can Russia best develo p its Arctic energy resources in a sustainable way that does not do extensive damage to the environment?; 2) Climate Change ? What is the impact of permafrost thawing on Russia?s urban Arctic settlements?; 3) Social sustainability ? How are trends in demo graphy, migration, and urban relations with indigenous peoples affecting the social fabric of Russia?s Arctic urban areas?; 4) Ecological Footprint ? How do Russian Arctic cities interact with their immediate environment?; 5) Russia's Arctic in Global Per spective; and 6) Networking Activities. The central activity WP6 will be annual meetings over the 3-year period in Norway, Russia, and North America to facilitate networking among scholars studying Arctic issues in the US, Canada, Europe, and Russia. The activities of ARCSUS will include interdisciplinary field research in the Russian Arctic in comparative perspective with other Arctic regions. Importantly, the outreach component of ARCSUS is not only to create and develop a network on urban sustainabili ty, but also to create courses and graduat-level projects that will enhance the execution and the outcomes of the project.