Architecture and Strategic Spaces in Confronting Undemocratic Development: An Analytical Perspective on Russia

In nondemocratic political systems, urban spaces serve as critical arenas where state power and ideology are explicitly manifested and contested. The purpose of this research is to provide an in-depth analytical perspective on the role of architecture and strategic urban spaces in confronting undemocratic development, with a specific focus on the case of Russia. This study utilizes a qualitative, descriptive-analytical research methodology. As a theoretical and historical review, this research does not employ a statistical population or sampling methods; its analysis is based on a comprehensive body of academic literature and documented case studies. Data were gathered through a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed scholarly sources covering urban planning, political science, and history. The data were analyzed using a historical-comparative and thematic synthesis, examining the evolution of spatial control from the Tsarist era to the present and contrasting state strategies with forms of citizen resistance.The findings confirm the central hypothesis that architecture in Russia functions as a double-edged sword: a powerful instrument for state control and a dynamic arena for citizen resistance. The study affirms a persistent legacy of top-down spatial governance—from Tsarist grid plans and Soviet social engineering to contemporary "fortress urbanism" and neoliberal segregatio. Simultaneously, it confirms that diverse forms of spatial resistance, including tactical urbanism, protest art, and popular activism, demonstrate the enduring agency of urban populations in challenging state hegemony. The research concludes that the urban fabric is a continuously contested space where mechanisms of control and acts of resistance dynamically interact and adapt.

Keywords:

Authoritarian Urbanism , Spatial Resistance , Architecture of Power , Participatory Authoritarianism , Russia