This article presents the results of the authors´study aimed at identifying the social effects of creative clusters in Moscow and their impact on the urban environment and social structure. Over the past decade, creative clusters have become a significant element of urban infrastructure, contributing to the economic, cultural, and social development of megacities. Their emergence is typically associated with the revitalisation of former industrial areas and the activisation of local communities. The influence of such spaces extends beyond purely economic and cultural effects, affecting the social structure of the city, accessibility of territories, and the development of new practices. Despite growing interest in creative clusters, their social effects in the Russian context remain understudied. The theoretical basis for this study is A. Lefebvre's concept of spatial production and Sh. Zukin's works. According to these concepts, creative clusters are interpreted as spaces where cultural practices, economic interests, and processes of social differentiation intersect. The empirical basis of the study consists of street interviews with Muscovites residing in areas with creative clusters, primarily those formed on the sites of former industrial zones. Particular attention is paid to the visual coding of space through institutionalised and grassroots art forms, the clash of which reveals the struggle for symbolic rights to the city. The study revealed the multidirectional impact of creative clusters on the urban environment. On the one hand, they contribute to the revitalisation of territories, the formation of new communities, and an increased subjective sense of security. On the other, they alter consumption patterns, transform urban infrastructure, and limit the accessibility of certain areas for various social groups. The scientific significance of the article lies in identifying the key social effects of creative clusters—visualisation, economisation, social control, commemoration, and self-exclusion—reflecting the interconnectedness of spatial transformations and the social structure of the city. The obtained results can serve as a basis for further research on the transformation of Russian urban spaces.

creative clusters, creative industries, urban space, Russian cities, social effects, socio-spatial differentiation, gentrification

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