| Summary: | `titrebNorilsk and Murmansk The Future of Two Large Cities in the Russian Far North `/titreb Located above the Arctic Circle, the cities of Norilsk and Murmansk were created from nothing at the beginning of the twentieth century for different reasons : the former to exploit the rich fields of nickel and other minerals in the area; the latter as a strategic base and then as a transportation hub for the industrial exploitation of the area and development of the Northern Sea route. They have both suffered from Russia’s economic transition which abandoned the Far North development program. Over the last years they have, in particular, experienced a drastic population reduction due concurrently to the end of a costly policy of advantages accorded polar city inhabitants and the government’s desire to limit the populations of these cities, with their harsh climates, to what is immediately necessary for local activities. These changes are forcing these two cities to restructure their activities and to find new potentials. Norilsk is maintaining its single ore extractionrelated specialty, knowing that it will disappear when the seams are exhausted. Murmansk is playing the polyvalence and regional development card, banking on its role as a transportation hub on changes to an East-West axis. Situées toutes deux au-delà du cercle polaire arctique, les villes de Norilsk et de Mourmansk ont été créées ex nihilo au début du XXe siècle avec des finalités différentes : la première devait permettre l’exploitation des riches gisements de nickel et autres minéraux découverts alentour, tandis que la seconde allait devenir une base stratégique, puis une plaque tournante des transports liés à l’exploitation industrielle de la région et au développement de la Route maritime du Nord. Elles ont toutes deux été mises à mal par la transition économique russe alors qu’était abandonnée la politique de mise en valeur du Grand Nord. Elles ont connu notamment, au cours des dernières années, une réduction drastique de leur population, en ...
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