How safe is Moscow for Americans?

[Renee Stillings]

Demographic shifts involve the demise of the even distribution of all
"income groups" in each apartment building or region in Moscow for example.
It is already happening that some areas are becoming more prestigious than
others and collecting a population with more disposable income, while other
neighborhoods with buildings in poorer conditions begin to draw lower income
groups. This is the first step in the demographic shift as I see it. Luckily
it has been slow and maybe (I hope!) they will divert from our course, but
nonetheless it has started.

I don't think necessarily it is a US thing, simply a side effect of a market
economy. Perhaps I am too involved in the business side of life in Russia,
but this demographic shift is one thing that a successful long-term real
estate investor in Russia (not my area of work) would at least take into
consideration. Given lack of historical information about demographic shifts
in a free market economy in Russia, all that is left is to look at other
models in the world.

I don't believe I intended to make only a point about the rise of the
suburb--in fact in some areas it is declining and personally I hate the US
suburb model and now that I am old enough to make my own decisions will not
live in them. My (indirect) point about demographics was that there will be
shifts within the city and one effect is the rise of suburbs as an
alternative to the very expensive pricetag that comes along with "elite"
inner city neighborhoods. Suburbs also are rising in Moscow already and is a
very interesting phenomena to watch. I'd love to see a time lapse aerial
view of Moscow covering about 10-20 years.

> [Comment]  Why wouldn't esteemed colleagues avoid generalizing and trying
> to fit their specific conditions on everybody? US are not the blueprint of
> the future and I personally don't see what "demographic shifts" could lead
> to the death of Russian inner cities and rise of the suburbs on their
> American scale. Where else did these "shifts" take place?
>
> 

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