Global and Local Trends in Development of the Siberian City of Krasnoyarsk

Abstract

This article looks at the modern day cultural geography of Krasnoyarsk Krai (Central Siberia, Russia). The article is based on research into the urban image of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk and analyzes both its architecture and symbolic representation. Multiple studies suggest that two trends equally affect city development in this day and age: they are globalization and regionalization. By applying semiotic analysis to the city’s flagship pieces of architecture and content analysis to local and foreign media covering the city’s most prominent and newsworthy events, we were able to establish that Krasnoyarsk’s search for self-identity at the turn of the 1990’s was most prominently expressed in its visual image and by the early 21st century was overtaken by globalization trends in architecture; whereas the city’s mindset image was shaped overall by two trends: unabated foreign media interest in the area’s unique features and local media attention to the day-to-day life typical of any city. The main development resource for Krasnoyarsk is the people living in the city.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s5p241