Naukograds - Secret Science Cities of the Soviet Union
Science cities emerged in the USSR almost immediately after World War II. The main impetus for their development was the development of nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, in the Soviet Union there were not only closed cities involved in military development, but also entire scientific settlements that were engaged in such peaceful professions as biology or astronomy. Today Russia has 14 specific designated Science Cities called "Naukograds" whose main task is to maintain Russian scientific research at a world-class level. Let's see if those cities are up to this challenge.
00:00 - Intro
02:12 - Naukograds and Closed Cities
06:24 - How USSR planned cities
09:58 - Why Naukograds are dying
13:10 - New Science Cities
During the two decades following World War II, dozens of closed cities were built around the country. Some were naukograds (“science cities”) or akademgorodoks (“academic cities”), while others developed military technology, nuclear reactors, and, later on, spacecraft. They were surrounded by barbed wire and guards, and no one was allowed to come or go without authorization. Many residents lived their entire lives without ever leaving. Nevertheless, residents were also privileged, enjoying a lifestyle with access to better housing, food, goods, and health care than Soviet citizens elsewhere. Nowadays, of course, most of those cities are open. But they are still a very interesting phenomenons: whole settlements that are somewhat stuck in their Soviet past. Inside them, the same old Soviet scientists in Soviet research institutes using Soviet equipment are trying to move Russian science forward. Nowadays, Russia doesn't really want to develop them anymore. Instead, Russian government tries to build it's own Silicon Valley in the form of Skolkovo. This place was intended to incubate scientific ideas using generous tax holidays and government grants until the start-ups can become profitable companies. Its backers in government and the private sector describe it as an effort to blend the Soviet tradition of forming scientific towns with Western models of encouraging technology ventures around universities. But was this effort really successful? Let's find out.
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