▁of ▁the ▁t ough est ▁cities ▁in ▁the ▁Russian ▁Empire . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁young ▁man ▁Joseph ▁St alin ▁spent ▁time ▁there ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 0 0 s , ▁where ▁he ▁al lied ▁himself ▁with ▁organized ▁crime ▁gang s ▁against ▁the ▁oil ▁ty co ons . ▁It ▁was ▁said ▁that ▁some ▁was t eland ▁in ▁Black ▁City ▁was ▁controlled ▁by ▁a ▁gang . ▁St alin ▁" made ▁an ▁agreement ▁with ▁the ▁gang ▁only ▁to ▁let ▁through ▁B ols he vik s , ▁not ▁Mens he vik s . ▁The ▁B ols he vik s ▁had ▁special ▁passwords ." ▁Another ▁story ▁says ▁that ▁St alin ▁was ▁behind ▁the ▁prof itable ▁kid n apping ▁of ▁the ▁oil ▁ty co on ▁Mus a ▁Nag i ye v . ▁St alin ▁also ▁organized ▁strik es ▁in ▁the ▁oil ▁fields , ▁and ▁the ▁B ols he vik s ▁distributed ▁their ▁newspaper ▁I sk ra ▁via ▁the ▁oil ▁sh ipping ▁network . ▁ ▁Pl anning ▁▁ ▁The ▁plan ▁for ▁Black ▁City ▁marked ▁the ▁first ▁time ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁Russian ▁urban ▁planning ▁that ▁the ▁design ▁of ▁an ▁urban ▁area ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁principle ▁of ▁symmet rical ▁construction . ▁The ▁blocks ▁in ▁Black ▁City ▁were ▁laid ▁out ▁in ▁a ▁rect angular ▁grid ▁with ▁wide , ▁straight ▁roads . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁roads ▁ended ▁at ▁a ▁square ▁which ▁over look ed ▁the ▁area ' s ▁numerous ▁wh ar fs . ▁This ▁was ▁quite ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁layout ▁of ▁dow nt own ▁B aku , ▁with ▁its ▁small ▁blocks