Feature Stories
The coexistence of the ‘old’ and the ‘new’: a Soviet monotown in Georgia
The concept of industrial monotowns popular in the Soviet Union proved ineffective in the context of the market economy. Many city-forming enterprises have become completely uncompetitive — but cities continue to live. ‘The plant was powerful! And this power was visible, at least throughout Georgia. Everyone would envy Rustavi!’ — says Givi Zurashvili, a resident of Rustavi who worked at a metallurgical plant for 40 years. ‘I entered the factory right after school — in 1970’, he says,
