Abstract

In recent years, the focus of urban studies has been gradually shifting from the issue of “ethnic enclaves” to the infrastructure created by migrants. The problem of territorially closed migrant communities in big cities does not lose its relevance, however, the settlement factor ceases to be a universal explanatory model for analyzing the dynamics of social integration. The attention of researchers is increasingly attracted by market, medical, information and entertainment infrastructures, through which members of migrant communities are involved in building new social ties without rigid reduction to their place of residence. In Russia, just as in Europe, migrants accumulate various resources through labor and neighborhood relations, as well as through participation in public organizations. However, how these relations are localized in the Russian cities and what institutions mediate them remains poorly understood. This work sheds light on the specifics of the post-Soviet context through comparison with the situation in Western European megacities.