Аннотация:One of the key modern trends in the process of transformation of rural areas is the growthof the suburban population against the background of depopulation of other non-urbanterritories. During the Soviet period, this process was held back by both institutional andsocio-economic factors. Even different by their nature suburbs were still parts of the zonaltypes of rural areas. Over the past three decades, suburban areas of large cities have grownby more than 20% in terms of population while their share has exceeded a quarter of theentire rural population of Russia.The center-peripheral processes of spatial differentiation of rural areas also have theirown zonal features like the difference in the shifts in settlement patterns and dynamics ofthese processes. The population density in suburban and other rural municipalities alreadydiffers by several times in the majority of Russian regions. Changes in quantitativeindicators are complemented by qualitative changes: the socio-economic inequalitybetween suburban and other rural areas is growing. Suburban areas that are essentiallyless connected with the agricultural sector are becoming the leading type of rural area inmany regions.Regional specifics of the dynamics of suburban settlement systems in the post-Sovietperiod are studied on the basis of census and current population register data. The socioeconomic situation in the suburban areas of key regions is analyzed on the municipal levelby three indicators: the intensity of migration, the pace of residential construction and thesalary level. The most typical scenarios of further development of suburban areas in theregions of Russia were identified.
