Published: 15 January 2019
The aim of the research is to identify the specific features of socio-cultural relations development between the city and universities in modern conditions and to elaborate improvement trends of the socio-cultural environment of a university city. The traditional urban functions are currently being reconsidered. The nature of changes indicates increasing interrelations of economic and sociocultural development of cities and transformations in higher education. Comparative analysis has been used as a research method. Based on the system review the signs of a university city (exemplified by Tomsk) are revealed. It has been found that the university city can be represented as a conglomerate of academic, technological, cultural, scientific and innovation features. A completely new level of urban culture has been registered in connection with the emergence of universities. The role of university museums, incentives of universities contributing to the socio-economic and cultural development of the city is analyzed. The socio-cultural environment improvement trends of the university city are featured. Scientific novelty is to identify the specific characteristics of the university city and to develop perspective trends to improve the socio-cultural environment of the university city.