The Atypical Model of Urbanization in Western Siberia and Its Demographic Consequences, 1960–1980

Abstract

This article discusses the distinctive features and territorial qualities of Russian urbanization and their impact on demographic processes. We outline the mechanisms of state regulation of city formation, including in the country’s eastern regions, and identify the features of development of urban settlement in Western Siberia under the influence of such factors as geographical remoteness, availability of natural resources, and evacuation measures during the Second World War. For the first time, we determine the characteristics of the unique model of urbanization in Western Siberia and its demographic consequences in the 1960s–1980s. We reveal the impact of the population’s social and educational structures, employment, urban settlement type, and government socioeconomic policies on fertility in older industrial regions and in newly developed raions. We analyze the factors of mortality and the characteristics of average life expectancy of the Western Siberian urban population and study the formation and intensity of migratory flows in different historical periods, as well as the categorical distribution of urban settlements.