Final answer:
During the Soviet period, the government used the system of propiska, a residence permit, to control urban growth by regulating where individuals could live and work within the country.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Soviet period, one way in which the government tried to keep urban growth within projected levels was by requiring city residents to have a government-issued propiska in order to live in a city. This propiska acted as a residence permit system and was a type of internal passport that limited the ability of the Soviet citizens to move freely within the country. Citizens needed to have a propiska for a particular city if they wished to live, work, or even stay for an extended period in that city. It was one of the methods used by the Soviet state to control migration and manage the population in urban areas. By controlling where people could live, the government was able to exert significant influence over the demographic distribution and manage urbanization and industrialization in line with state planning objectives. This central control over population movements was a hallmark of the command economy of the Soviet Union, where many aspects of daily life were regulated by the state.