The Main Trends in the Evolution of Rural Settlement in Russia in the XX – early XXI Centuries

Abstract

The paper reviews the dynamics of rural settlement of the USSR and Russia from 1926 to 2010. Among the factors of its evolution during the Soviet period are urbanization and the policy of the Soviet government (collectivization, consolidation of collective farms, etc.). In the post-Soviet period, the principal factors are de-agrarization, a decline in the role of production and an increase in the share of “purely residential” functions of human settlements, an aging population, and an increase in recreational functions. Contrary to the established opinion, the policy of “resettlement of unpromising villages” did not have a significant impact on the rate of reduction in the number of settlements and increased outflow of population from the village.The traditional («Soviet») typology of rural settlements was based on their place in the system of collective farm production. But now the system of settlement and the territorial organization of the economy, which had almost coincided before, do not match. Therefore, the typology requires completely different indicators: the presence or absence of a resident population, its ratio to the temporary population, the presence of the working-age population and jobs.