The small towns residents demand for the urban environment development (the case of sociological research in the Murmansk region)

The article looks at the specifics of living conditions in small towns in general, as well as considering their location in one of the Federal subjects of the Arctic zone of Russia. The article also justifies the necessity of developing the urban environment as a significant factor in improving the level and quality of life of the Murmansk region population. Furthermore, it raises the issue about the attitude of small towns residents in this region to the improvement of the territory. The analysis is based on the results of the sociological research conducted in 2021 among the residents of Zaozersk, Kirovsk and Kovdor towns by doing an online survey (301 respondents) and by holding a group discussion (35 participants). Despite the fact that the majority of the surveyed in these small towns represent a positive image of the town, there is an urgent need for the renewal and reconstruction of territories in residential areas, as well as the willingness of residents to directly or indirectly participate in the implementation of measures to develop the urban environment. The main results of the study concretize the needs of the small towns population for the improvement of the territory, and have an applied value for justifying applications for the competition for the best projects in urban environment development in small towns and historical settlements of Russia.

1. Russian Federation. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 07 May 2018 No. 204 “On the national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024”. http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/43027 (accessed 20.08.2022).

2. Russian Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities. National project Housing and urban environment. https://minstroyrf.gov.ru/trades/natsionalnye-proekty/natsionalnyy-proekt-zhilye-i-gorodskaya-sreda/ (accessed 20.08.2022).

3. All-Russian competition of the best projects for creating a comfortable urban environment. Official website. https://konkurs.gorodsreda.ru/ (accessed 20.08.2022).

4. Creative specializations of Russian cities. Scientific digest. Special issue. 2022. https://www.hse.ru/data/2022/02/17/1747882405/Human_Capital_NCMU_Digest_Special_Issue_Creative_Cities_02-2022.pdf (accessed 10.08.2022).

5. Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Estimation of the permanent population of the land territories of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2021. https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/ZJrYt8xA/pok_84.xls (accessed 10.08.2022).

6. Cities of Russia. List of small towns in Russia for 2022. https://города-россия.рф/reytin-cities.php?name=малые (accessed 10.08.2022).

7. Territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Murmansk Region. Population. https://murmanskstat.gks.ru/folder/72764 (accessed 20.08.2022).

8. Podsvirova A.V. Small towns of Russia: particularity and factors of formation. Humanities, socio-economic and social sciences. 2016;(4):52–55.

9. Gagach M.G., Rodygina M.V. The specifics of the organization of leisure of the population in small towns. Culture and education: scientific and informational journal of universities of culture and arts. 2018;(4):132–138.

10. Krivova D.A. Importance of social infrastructure for social and economical development of small towns. Society and power. 2013;(2):26–32.

11. Popov A.V., Gnatyuk M.A. Strategies for Innovative Development of Small Cities in Russia: The specificity of problems and resource potential. Humanitarian of the South of Russia. 2017;6(2):251–259.

12. Popov M.U., Goverdovskaya E.V., Grigorieva N.V. Soviet and Russian sociological studies on the problems of Russian small towns. Humanities, socio-economic and social sciences. 2021;(3):76–80. https://doi.org/10.23672/e7673-3206-9321-b

13. Egorova K.S. Typology of cities from the standpoint of strategic planning of socio-economic development. Eurasian Union of Scientists. 2015;(4-1):90–93.

14. Nikitsky M.V. Social climate in Russian small towns (some social-pedagogical features of Russian province). Vestnik PSTGU. Series 4: Pedagogy. Psychology. 2010;(2):57–67.

15. Nedoseka E.V., Zhigunova G.V. Features of local identity of single-industry town residents (the case of the Murmansk Region). Arctic and North. 2019;(37):118–133. https://doi.org/10.17238/issn2221-2698.2019.37.118

16. Sharova E.N., Anufrieva T.V. Regional identity of youth in the Murmansk region. The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2015;18(2):163–180.

17. Shchenkov A.S. The role of urban landscaping in the formation of the image of small Russian towns. Social objectives and problems of settlement identity. Architecture and modern information technologies. 2018;(4):159–172.

18. Sharova E.N. The role of Arctic discourse in the construction of a Northern Regional identity. Region: Economics and Sociology. 2016;(4):139–152. https://doi.org/10.15372/REG20160406