URBANIZATION UNIQUENESS IN THE USSR
The paper presents the criticism of stable stereotypes of the nature and results of Soviet urbanization assessment. Specific traits of the Soviet urbanization are characterized, predetermined by its artificial nature, i.e. the plane formation of the settlement system based on a forced binding of labor resources to the place of work. The necessity of developing research-based approaches is suggested not on the basis of comparison with the laws of urbanization in capitalist countries, but rather on identifying the specificity of urban processes in the Soviet Union.