The role of rotation shift settlements for the sustainable development of Russia’s Far North urbanization

Ulyana V. Mizerovskaya, Egor E. Chaika

Abstract


Relevance. As permanent settlements in the Russian Far North suffer increasing depopulation, a "shadow" settlement framework is emerging through rotational labor migration. Despite nearly half a century of history, rotational shift work in the North remains largely spontaneous, posing risks to sustainable development.

Research Objective. This study examines rotational shift settlements as elements of the population settlement system in the Russian Far North and analyzes their role in transforming the region's settlement patterns.

Data and Methods. Data on rotational shift camps were gathered from various open web sources and the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic. Information on permanent settlements was obtained from Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service). The study employed systemic and comparative analysis methods.

Results. Unlike other Russian regions, rotational shift settlements in the Far North were initially integrated into the local settlement system. However, socio-economic changes in the 1990s disrupted the established Soviet model of integration, leading to the spontaneous development of these settlements. This unregulated growth poses increasing risks in such areas as ecology and social well-being.

Conclusions. To regulate the status of rotational settlements, legislative initiatives should be supported by updated conceptual and terminological frameworks. The urbanization process in this geostrategically important and environmentally vulnerable region must be controlled or at least predictable to ensure timely responses to emergencies.


Keywords


Russian Far North, population settlement system, rotation shift method, rotation shift camp, base city/town

Full Text:

PDF

References


Anisimovets A.D. (2017). History of urban development and prospects for the development of the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Proceedings of the Moscow Architectural Institute: Proceedings of the international scientific and practical conference “Science, education and experimental design”. April 03-07, 2017. Collection of articles, 52-55. (In Russian).

Baburin V.L. & Zemtsov S.P. (2015). The evolution of the system of urban settlements and the dynamics of natural and socio-economic processes in the Russian Arctic. Regional studies, 50, 4, 76-83. (In Russian).

Bazhutova E.A. (2022) Rotation shift as a reserve for the transformation of migration processes in the regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The North and the Market: Forming an Economic Order, 4, 148-166. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.37614/2220-802X.4.2022.78.011

Blagodeteleva O.M. (2017) Urban planning aspects of rotational development of northern and Arctic territories. Construction and reconstruction, 2, 71-84. (In Russian).

Breslavsky A.S. (2022) “Unprofitable” urbanization: transformation of the network of urban settlements in Chukotka in the late 1980s-2010s. Bulletin of the BSC SB RAS, 4(48), 53-60. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.31554/2222-9175-2022-48-53-60

Breslavsky A.S. (2022) Urbanization crisis in the Magadan region (late 1980s-2010s): dynamics of structural and demographic indicators. Oriental Studies, vol.15 is.6, 1227-1243. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1227-1243

Dorow S., O’Leary V., Hilario C., Cherry N., Daigle A., Kelly G. Lindquist K., Garcia M.M., & Shmatko I. (2021) Mobile work and Mental Health: A Preliminary Study of Fly-in Fly-out Workers in the Alberta Oil Sands. Report. University of Alberta and CISM. https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-yqtg-m927

Jensen T. & Sandström J. (2020) Fly-in/fly-out and the fragmentation of communities: A case study of a uranium mine on indigenous land. Journal of Rural Studies, vol.78, 78-86; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.05.009

Khaytun A.D. (1982) Expeditionary and rotation shift construction in Western Siberia. Leningrad: Stroyizdat, Leningrad branch, 183. (In Russian).

Korneeva Ya.A. & Simonova N.N. (2021) Features of psychological adaptability of rotation shift personnel in the Far North. National Journal of Psychology, 4(44), 63-74. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2021.0406

Loginov V.G., Ignatieva M.N., Yurak V.V. & Drozdova I.V. (2020) Shift method of attracting workers to the development of oil and gas resources in the Arctic territories. News from universities. Mining magazine, 5, 66-79. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.21440/0536-1028-2020-5-66-79

Milenina E.A. & Morozova K.I. (1982) A manual on the use of rotational and expeditionary methods in urban development (using the example of the oil and gas complex of Western Siberia). Leningrad: LenNIIPurgostroitelstva, 134. (In Russian).

Myakinenkov V.M., Shimanovskaya Z.F., Chernobylkina L.V., Schastlivtsev I.P., Vorobyov N.A., Vinogradov E.P., Korolev A.N., Fomicheva N.P., Belinsky A.Yu., Furen V.M., Smolin E.D. & Vyazilova Yu.S. (1977) Problems of settlement in the Northern regions. Under general ed. V.M. Myakinenkova. Leningrad: Stroyizdat, Leningrad branch, 223. (In Russian).

Pechkin A.S., Krasnenko A.S. & Pechkina Yu.A. (2023) Cities and towns of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: five waves of development. Russian polar research, 2, 25-26. (In Russian).

Pilyasov A.N. (2019) Arctic industry of Russia in recent decades: industrialization, deindustrialization, industrialization 2.0. The North and the Market: Forming an Economic Order, vol.64 is.4, 16-27. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.25702/KSC.2220-802X-4-2019-66-43-63

Pilyasov A.N. & Putilova E.S. (2020) Challenging the obvious: Arctic cities. Urban Research and Practice, vol.5 is.1, 9-32. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.17323/usp5120209-32

Popova O.V. (2021) Social aspects of legal regulation of rotational work in the northern regions. Theory and practice of social development, 12, 104-109. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.24158/tipor.2021.12.13

Pruss Yu.V. & Sharypova O.A. (2022) Transformation of the administrative-territorial structure as a condition for the viability of the regions of the extreme North-East of Russia. Bulletin of the North-Eastern Scientific Center of the FEB RAS, 4, 112-123. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.34078/1814-0998-2022-4-112-123

Ryser L., Markey S. & Halseth G. (2016) The Workers’ Perspective: The Impacts of Long Distance Labour Commuting in a Northern Canadian Small Town. The Extractive Industries and Society, 3, 594-605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2016.02.002

Saxinger G. (2021) Rootedness along the way: meaningful sociality in petroleum and mining mobile worker camps. Mobilities, vol.16 is.2, 194-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2021.1885844

Silin A.N. (2021) Shift work in the Arctic: socio-spatial discourse: Monograph. Tambov: Ucom consulting company, 88. (In Russian).

Stas’ I.N. (2014) Cities or hotels? The question of the construction of gas workers' cities in the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug in the late 1960s. Arctic and North, 16, 132-143. (In Russian).

Stas’ I.N. (2016) From villages to cities and back: the history of urban planning policy in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug (1960 through early 1990s). Surgut: Hyphen, 258. (In Russian).

Stepus I.S. & Gurtov V.A. (2023) Shift employment in the economy of the Arctic zone of Russia: dynamics, scale, professional and qualification characteristics. Society and economy, 6, 90-108. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.31857/S020736760025036-8

Stepus I.S., Gurtov V.A. & Averyanov A.O. (2022) Population migrations for the development of the Russian Arctic: features of opportunity. Region: economics and sociology, 1(113), 73-103. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.15372/REG20220103

Storey K. (2010) Fly-in/Fly-out: Implications for Community Sustainability. Sustainability, 2(5), 1161-1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/su2051161

Storey K. (2016) The evolution of commute work in the resource sectors in Canada and Australia. The Extractive Industries and Society, vol.3 is.3, 584-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2016.02.009

Storey K. (2023) From FIFO to LILO: The place effects of digitalization in the mining sector. The Extractive Industries and Society, vol.13, 101206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2022.101206

Vodden K. & Hall H. (2016) Long distance commuting in the mining and oil and gas sectors: Implications for rural regions. The Extractive Industries and Society, vol.3 is.3, 577-583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2016.07.001

Weller A.B. & Kokhanova L.A. (2021) Operation of rotational camps in the Arctic. Ideas and innovations, vol.9 is.4, 83-92. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.48023/2411-7943_2021_9_4_85

Zamyatina N.Yu. & Goncharov R.V. (2020) Arctic urbanization: phenomenon and comparative analysis. Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 5: Geography, 4, 69-82. (In Russian).

Zamyatina N.Yu. (2020) Northern base city: development features and potential for Arctic development. Arctic: Environment and Economics, vol.38 is.2, 4-17. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.25283/2223-4594-2020-2-4-17

Zamyatina N.Yu. & Pilyasov A.N. (2019) Modern development theory: the search for an integrating platform. The North and the Market: Forming an Economic Order, 2(64), 16-28. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.25702/KSC.2220-802X.2.2019.64.16-28

Zakharov A.V. & Efimova E.A. (2017) On the history of the introduction of the rotational method of labor organization during the construction of the oil and gas complex in Western Siberia. Siberian builders: events and destinies: collection of articles of the All-Russian scientific conference. November 25-26, 2016. 315-329. (In Russian).




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/recon.2024.10.2.012

Copyright (c) 2024 Ulyana V. Mizerovskaya, Egor E. Chaika

Сertificate of registration media Эл № ФС77-80764 от 23.04.2021
Online ISSN 2412-0731