Urban-type Settlements Research Articles

The place of subcenters in district settlement systems (case study of Tver oblast)

The paper discusses subcenters—special places in the settlement systems of municipal districts. In some ways they can be compared with “key settlements” of Great Britain. Subcenters are considered an alternative to municipal district centers. Formal criteria are offered for determining subcenters for NonChernozem Zone. Seventy-seven subcenters are determined in Tver oblast. All municipal districts of the oblast are analyzed for the presence of the mentioned class of settlements. The differences in the network density of centers (municipal and subcenters) in the districts of the oblast are shown. The dependence of the network density of centers (municipal and subcenters) in municipal districts on their economical and geographical position is demonstrated. The genetic types of subcenters in Tver oblast are examined. Among them there are former centers of municipal districts, old trade centers, settlements with favorable transport and geographical location, and rural settlements that have transitioned into small towns or urban-type settlements. Possible decisions to strengthen the role of subcenters in municipal districts are suggested.

URBANIZATION PROCESSES AND ITS SPECIFICS IN LATGALE

<p>Urbanization is an important demo-geographical process and a complex social phenomenon under impact of which changes are made not only to the global, regional or national settlement systems, but all socio-economic processes are also substantially transformed. Changes caused by urbanization have an impact on traditional way of life, cultural particularity, community and individual psychology and other aspects of spiritual life, therefore expressions and regularities of this process might be of interest not only for demographers, geographers and economists, but also for representatives of the field of humanities.</p><p>Paper presents the progress of urbanization processes in Latgale, by covering the period from establishment of the first urban-type settlements in the Eastern Latvia until today, when under impact of the depopulation processes number of inhabitants in all cities of the region decreases dramatically. Particular attention is paid to the course of formation and evolution of the Latgale urban network, successively looking at characteristics of the course of urbanization process during all major stages of the historical process.</p><p>Towns and cities constitute the basis for the Latvian population system, characterized by historically formed relatively dense urban network. Like elsewhere in the country, also in modern Latgale towns and cities are distributed evenly throughout the region area, but historically it has not always been so. Urban spatial and landscape model in Latgale has been developed within the long historical process of gradual accumulation of changes in the landscape space; however the balance of this process is destroyed by sudden transformations of political, economic and socio-cultural conditions the region and its people have had to survive in more than one occasion.</p><p>The article particularly deals with characteristics of the urbanization processes during post-Soviet period, outlines the present urban development trends in Latgale, and highlights major urban demo-geographical problems, among which the emphasis has to be placed on the rapid depopulation, an ageing population and the deepening of territorial inequalities, also intra-regionally.</p><p>Structural economical changes and increasing mobility of population during the post- Soviet period have changed the urban development perspective. Activities based on new knowledge are concentrated in large agglomerations, while individual regions, including Latgale, with less competitive urban centers are noticeably lagging behind in their development.</p><p>Therefore, exactly in these areas and localities it is necessary to strengthen the urban functions to impede also interregional migration of population, since it substantially restricts the functionality of the most remote and underdeveloped areas and hinders provision of services to population at an appropriate level. This is even more important since implementation of the cohesion principles has been proclaimed to be one of the cornerstones of the European Union regional policy.</p><p>Unfortunately, at least for the time being situation in urban areas of Latgale is far from encouraging - negative net migration and negative natural growth factor, persistently high level of unemployment is observed there, social exclusion and apathy prevailing. Admittedly, in recent years urban development in Latgale represents also several positive trends. Urban environmental quality has improved significantly, which is generally associated with transition to environmentally more friendly fuels and implementation of various environmental projects, based on funding from the EU budget, such as municipal waste management, improving of water supply and sewerage systems.</p><p>Encouragingly, facilities of regional higher education institutions improve, and the capacity of scientific work increases, important interdisciplinary research has been launched. In the nearest future significant educational and scientific infrastructure improvement projects at the University of Daugavpils and Rezekne Higher Education Institution are planned to be made, which will certainly increase competitiveness of the Latgale region in the science and technology area.</p><p>Article is based on review of comprehensive scientific literature and analysis of available statistical information. The author does not claim to provide all-inclusive and in-depth analysis of the urbanization processes in Latgale, since this task would be performed in course of further studies, but summarizes the results obtained at an early stage of research of urban areas and population demo-geographical development, as well as of the quality of urban environment.</p>

Проблеми понятійно-термінологічного означення селищ міського типу як окремої категорії міських поселень

Some approaches of conceptual terminological definition and juridical identification of urban type settlements have been analysed. Criteria for distinguishing of urban type settlements as a separate class of urban settlement have been argued. Key words: urban type settlements, small town, settlement, settlement system, administrative status of the settlement.

Current Problems in the Restructuring of the Countryside

In the set of problems entailed in eliminating significant differences between town and country, the restructuring of the countryside in order to create comfortable, urban-type settlements has retained its relevance during the entire period of developed socialism. Populated points in rural areas of the USSR now cover a very broad spectrum. They differ from one another in size of population, level of amenities, their position in the existing intraeconomic system of settlement, and the level of development of transportation ties with neighboring populated points and other indicators.

Utilization of Land Resources in Nonagricultural Branches

Nonagricultural land refers to the land of cities and urban-type settlements, as well as of industry, transport, health resorts, etc. All in all it occupies approximately 60 million hectares, or 2.7% of the nation's territory. However, the share of individual types of nonagricultural land is quite great. Thus 8.5% of the total area of nonagricultural land is in the form of land attached to the house within the boundaries of industrial zones of urban settlements, transport organizations, and other nonagricultural enterprises; 35.2% is under roads; and approximately 50% of all built-upon areas in the USSR is under buildings (in the composition of nonagricultural land).

Utilization of Land Resources in Nonagricultural Branches

Nonagricultural land refers to the land of cities and urban-type settlements, as well as of industry, transport, health resorts, etc. All in all it occupies approximately 60 million hectares, or 2.7% of the nation's territory. However, the share of individual types of nonagricultural land is quite great. Thus 8.5% of the total area of nonagricultural land is in the form of land attached to the house within the boundaries of industrial zones of urban settlements, transport organizations, and other nonagricultural enterprises; 35.2% is under roads; and approximately 50% of all built-upon areas in the USSR is under buildings (in the composition of nonagricultural land).

The Rayon Seats of the USSR in the System of Services

The administrative centers of rayons (county-type civil divisions) are viewed as key elements in the provision of services in the USSR. The effectiveness of rayon seats as service centers is analyzed in terms of the category of places serving as rayon seats (small cities; urban-type settlements [towns]; rural places), mean rayon population, area and radius, and the mean transport accessibility of the rayon center. The existence of a small city with a high level of services in a small rayon, as in the Baltic region, Belorussia, Moldavia and parts of the Ukraine, is viewed as optimal. Particular problems arise in Siberia and Kazakhstan, where the large size of rayons, low mean rayon population, big rayon radius and low transport accessibility combine to produce a low level of services. In such regions, a system of local service centers is advocated, with rayon seats performing the role of major regional centers.

Population Movement and Labor Supply in Siberia [Part III

The level of utilization of labor resources in the economy outside the household differs sharply in different types of population centers. A special study of the utilization of the labor resources of small towns and industrial settlements in Novosibirsk Oblast and Krasnoiarsk Krai, conducted by A. N. Gladyshev at the Institute of Economics, Siberian Division, Academy of Sciences, USSR, has shown that the percentage of persons not engaged in the economy outside the household shows a regular increase as one proceeds from large cities down to urban-type settlements. Table 21 (2-28) presents the distribution of the labor supply in the towns and cities of Novosibirsk Oblast by categories of employment in 1962.