Abstract: the article deals with the main approaches to the study of the city image as a socio-cultural phenomenon and the methods used in this case, the experience of domestic and foreign studies of the city image. The formation of the city image, its awareness and verbalization by residents affects the urban space and its boundaries, all areas of urban life and the satisfaction of citizens, as well as migration flows associated with the city. The authors conducted a study of the population’s satisfaction with the conditions of urban life and ideas about cities on the example of six administrative centers of the Ural Federal district. It is revealed that satisfaction with living conditions in these cities is quite high, but differentiated by different indicators. The study allowed to identify problem areas related to the issues of civil-political participation of citizens, socio-cultural and economic spheres of urban life. It is also established that the attitude to the city affects the migration intentions of citizens: the proportion of those wishing to move or get a job in another city among the residents of Kurgan and Chelyabinsk were significantly higher than the average sample. The results of the study are compared by the authors with individual ratings of cities on the level and quality of life in recent years.
Keywords: city, image of the city, quality of life, ideas about the city, satisfaction with urban space, living conditions in the city