Regional Planning Problems in the Soviet Far East

A variety of approaches are being recommended in regional plans for future settlements patterns in the Soviet Far East. In Magadan Oblast, the present scattered pattern of small populated places is to be superseded by greater concentration of urban population in a set of subregional service centers. In Khabarovsk Kray, different approaches are being recommended for the future development of the Khabarovsk and Komsomol'sk areas. Because limitation of the future growth of Khabarovsk is desirable, new industrial establishments are to be located in the future in nearby small towns and urban settlements of the Khabarovsk industrial district. In the Komsomol'sk area, satellite towns are to be significantly developed, giving rise to a grouped form of urban settlement, including the tin-mining center of Solnechnyy and the paper and chemical center of Amursk. In Amur Oblast, consideration is being given to the development of an iron and steel plant in the Svobodnyy area, giving rise to a city of up to 200,000 population.     

Economic-Geographic Prediction Of The Process Of Economic Development Of An Area (with particular reference to Irkutsk Oblast)

The present stage of economic development of Irkutsk Oblast is evaluated with a view to predicting future trends. The present stage is evaluated in terms of the economic structure of three intra-oblast regions (using Kolosovskiy's technique of energy-and-production cycles) and in terms of historical development axes reflected in settlement field potentials (see the author's paper in Soviet Geography, September 1970). Future development of the oblast is expected to be based on fuel and energy, forest, and nonferrous metal resources. The development process is said to operate both “in depth” (intensification) and “in breadth” (opening up of new areas). Development in depth, involving additional settling of high-density areas, produces pollution problems and involves the need for allocating recreation zones. Future development “in breadth” is expected in the northwest, northeast and south of the oblast, particularly along the border of Krasnoyarsk Kray, where a revision of administrative-political boundaries seems to be required. A reorientation toward the east of the oblast's predominantly westward orientation is advocated.     

PROSPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION AND SE'ITLEMENT IN THE NORTHERN YENISEY REGION

A long-range regional planning forecast of economic development and settlement in the North Yenisey region of Siberia, up to the year 2000, envisages the formation of several territorial production complexes based on the development of mineral resources (the nickelcopper-platinum reserves of the Noril'sk district, aluminum raw materials, iron ore, oil and gas and graphite) and hydroelectric development (hydro stations at Osinovo, Stony Tunguska, Maygunna, Kureyka and Khantayka, and ultimately Igarka and Lower Tunguska). The basic urban centers, in addition to Noril'sk, would be Osinovo, Novoturukhansk and Igarka. Urban population is expected to increase from 220,000 in 1970 to 480,000, and rural population from 40,000 in 1970 to 300,000.     

Transport Development of the Middle Ob'oil District

Two basic alternative transport systems are analyzed for the new oil-producing district along the Middle Ob'valley in West Siberia. One is the construction of a railroad parallel to the Ob' River; the other is the use of the waterway itself. Comparative cost analysis suggests that the railroad would be economical only for very large traffic volumes, not expectable in the foreseeable future. By 1980–1985, expected freight flows may justify construction of the western section of the proposed railroad in the oil district itself. Instead of an eastward extension, the author advocates a continuation toward the rich gas and possibly oil prospects in the northern part of the West Siberian plain, and ultimately to Noril'sk. The paper was published before the Soviet Union announced, in early 1970, that the accelerated development of the oil district required construction of the western section of the Ob'valley railroad in the 1970s.     

ON THE STUDY OF SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS BY MATHEMATICAL METHODS

Two Soviet regional planners test several spatial interaction models with particular reference to the Kuznetsk Basin (Kemerovo Oblast), the southern belt of West Siberia and a portion of the North Caucasus (Krasnodar Kray). Existing techniques, such as gravity and potential models, are found to work well in areas with relatively uniform settlement patterns, such as the steppe zone of Krasnodar Kray or the southern Ob'-Irtysh subregion of West Siberia, but not in areas with sharp contrasts in settlement patterns, such as the Kuznetsk Basin, where a linear highly urbanized belt is enclosed between sparsely populated mountains. In such contrasting settings, a combination of methods is required.     

Noril'sk Nickel: A Global Company?

Two specialists on Russia's minerals industries examine the evidence supporting the argument that the Russian mining conglomerate Noril'sk Nickel can be viewed as a global company. Included among the criteria they assess are the geographic dispersion of the company's markets and operations, the diversified and multinational character of its ownership, whether it has matched the performance standards set by its major international competitors, and the effect of the company's ownership presence on the management style of its foreign operations. A particular focus is on how an ongoing conflict between two major Russian oligarch shareholders (Vladimir Potanin and Oleg Deripaska) has shaped Noril'sk Nickel's ownership and management structure, which is characterized by the continued (background) presence of the state, the lack of any organized policy for training a multinational management cohort, and the absence of a major block of foreign shareholders. In the end, they conclude that Noril'sk Nickel is not a genuinely global but rather a Tier-1 Russian company, albeit one with a global scale of operations.     

Basic Data on the Territory of the USSR and its Physical Characteristics

A gas-industry economist outlines a series of geographical and economic arguments in favor of transmitting natural gas from Tyumen' Oblast to the European part of the USSR via the Middle Urals rather than along the northern route through Komi ASSR, as now planned. In his view, the Middle Urals route would be more economical by providing more direct access to major consuming areas and avoiding the northern hostile environment with its inevitable increase in construction costs.     

The Russian Copper Industry and the Noril'sk Joint-Stock Company in the Mid-1990s

An American resource geographer examines current production in one of the world's major copper industries, with special emphasis on the Noril'sk Nickel Joint-Stock Company—the world's most important producer of platinum-group metals, a leader in nickel and cobalt output, and the leading Russian producer of copper as well. The author documents and analyzes changes in operating procedures and raw material supplies in the industry during the 1990s, focusing on adjustments (such as tolling arrangements and imports of concentrate in the raw-material-deficient Urals and efforts to introduce cost economies in resource-rich Noril'sk) prompted by the severing of industry production linkages of the Soviet period and their partial reintegration under new corporate structures. In addition to restructuring, likened to similar adjustments in the American copper industry, the investigation covers exploration and new mine development at various Russian locations as well as the economics of producing copper and other exportable metals at Arctic production centers. 1 figure, 4 tables, 103 references. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: L61, L72, Q32.     

DESIGN OF UTILITY GRIDS IN NORTHERN USSR

The construction and maintenance of water, sewage, and heating lines in permafrost poses one of the greatest city-building problems faced in northern environments. The design and installation of a modern utility grid in Noril'sk, northern USSR, provides a good example of Soviet civil engineering strategy on permafrost. Early failures in combined underground installation of lines in reinforced concrete conduits (utilidors) forced design changes responsible for the present, more technically advanced system. Cogeneration of heat and electricity and the “closed-perimeter” building ensemble have potential applications in utilities planning in Arctic North America.     

PROBLEMS OF PASSENGER MOBILITY AND ROAD TRANSPORT IN THE SOUTHERN FAR EAST REGION

Dimensions of the road transport problem in the southern Far East Economic Region (Primorskiy Kray, Amur Oblast, and Khabarovsk Kray) are outlined and some of its social and economic impacts described (for example, the inadequate levels of services provision addressed in the preceding paper). Road connectivity and passenger mobility trends are analyzed before coverage shifts to more specific challenges confronting planners: the need to (a) separate inter-city from intra-city flows in cities along major transport corridors, (b) improve road surfaces, (c) reduce travel times and regulate seasonal fluctuations in service, and (d) provide a more favorable environment for growing private automobile use (translated by H. L. Haslett, Leamington Spa, UK).     

Methods Of Evaluating The Natural Environment For Transport Development (with reference to the north of Tyumen' Oblast)

A landscape map of northern Tyumen' Oblast, an area of intensive oil and gas development, is used as the base for compilation of an applied landscape map evaluating the environment in terms of suitability for various means of transportation. In terms of such criteria as the carrying capacity of the ground, dissection of terrain and slope angles, climate, distances between trees, bog and lake cover, 16 regions offering distinctive conditions for transport development are delimited and mapped. The technique is offered as an aid in estimating transport-development costs and may be applied for similar purposes in other regions of USSR.     

On Economic-Geographic Approaches to an Evaluation of the Use of Natural Resources(With particular reference to Magadan and Kamchatka Oblasts)

A resource-oriented approach to the economic development of new pioneering regions is recommended. In some regional designs, the resource base is given exaggerated importance as a developmental factor, not commensurate with the significance of the resources in the national division of labor. In the particular case of the Northeast of the ussr (Magadan and Kamchatka oblasts), the key resources on which development should be focused are nonferrous and rare metals (gold, tin, mercury, tungsten) and fisheries. Local coal and timber resources should be developed to the extent necessary to support the basic resource-oriented activities.     

The Major Economic-Geographic Regions of the USSR

A survey of the recent history of development, shifts in locational patterns and changes in organizational structure of the craft industries of Gor'kiy Oblast, one of the principal craft-industry areas of the Soviet Union. The authors map changes in the distribution of crafts and analyze economic-geographic factors in locational changes. Recommendations are made to preserve some of the crafts within the pattern of the Soviet economic system.     

Industrial Heritage Tourism and Regional Restructuring in the European Union

This paper explores the current trend among traditional industrial regions in Europe to launch initiatives in the field of 'industrial heritage tourism'. Increasingly, restoring and exploiting former industrial sites for touristic purposes is regarded as a useful strategy for regional renewal. After having discussed its background and categories, we argue that, theoretically, industrial heritage tourism could be an interesting 'new combination' for industrial areas in the European service economy. In practice, however, its effects for regional restructuring might be limited. Therefore, we suggest to re-use Europe's industrial heritage also for other economic activities than only tourism.     

THE GEOGRAPHICAL BASIS FOR DIFFERENTIATING THE SIZE OF FARMS

On the theory that optimization of farm size may enhance agricultural productivity, the author uses a game—theoretic model to find a solution for optimal farm size among the collective farms of Irkutsk Oblast. A game matrix, in which the players are the environment, using the strategies of a series of physical zones of agricultural production, and society, using the strategies of alternative farm sizes, yields a combination of farm sizes that would enhance total farm production in Irkutsk Oblast by 5 percent. The author notes that even greater improvements might be achieved in bringing types of farming more into line with physical and economic conditions of particular regions.     

The Forthcoming Congress of the Geographical Society of the USSR and its Program

A factual account of the economy of the Virgin Lands Kray, one of the Soviet Union's most Important wheat-growing areas, established in December 1960 as a distinct administrative entity within the Kazakh SSR. In addition to wheat farming, which suffers from unreliable rainfall, the kray plays an important role as a supplier of iron ore to the Urals and as a prospective producer of aluminum.     

Application of Quantitative Methods of Settlement Analysis to a Lower-Level (Intra—Oblast) Economic Regionalization

Two quantitative techniques—the mean center of population of the old centrography school, and the potential of population—are applied to settlement analysis in Eastern Siberia for purposes of lower economic regionalization. The migrations of the mean center of population of Yakut ASSR and Irkutsk Oblast are interpreted in terms of regional development trends from the 1920s to the 1960s. Analyses of the potential of population for different dates suggest the formation of areal production nodes that can be used in delimiting lower economic regions. The boundaries between such lower-order regions tend to pass through undeveloped and sparsely settled areas that show up as low values on maps of the potential of population.     

Local Politics,Economic Structure,and Performance: The Case of Sakhalin

Two geographers assess the results of the State Duma elections in Sakhalin Oblast and relate the regional pattern of voting to varying socio-economic conditions of the region. The research is structured to test a working hypothesis that voting patterns in large part can be explained by regional variations in economic structure and performance. More specifically, it explores whether, at the rayon level, there is any relationship between: (1) economic specialization and election results; (2) economic trends and election results; and (3) long-term socioeconomic indicators and election results. The case study is presented as a caveat against the uncritical use of national party preferences as a measure of the political climate in Russia's regions. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: J60, O18, R12. 2 figures, 7 tables, 36 references.     

A Map of the Settlement Field Potential as a Special Type of Population Map

The concept of settlement field potential, a term preferred over “demographic potential,” is applied to the territory of Tyumen' Oblast in Western Siberia. The generalizad resulting pattern of potential is then compared with a convential population density, and differences and similarities are noted. The maps, not reproduced in the article, are to be published in the Atlas of Tyumen' Oblast, which is in press.     

Regional Specialization and Industrial Concentration Patterns in the Turkish Manufacturing Industry: An Assessment for the 1980–2000 Period1

Previous studies on geographical distribution of economic activity in Turkey demonstrate that firms are localized in major metropolitan areas as well as a set of emerging regions. The aim of the paper is to complement the findings of the studies on regional and industrial concentration in Turkey's manufacturing industry by exploring whether regional specialization and industrial concentration patterns changed during the 1980–2000 period. The paper further aims to explore the driving forces of industrial concentration in Turkey's manufacturing industry, particularly during Turkey's economic integration process that started with trade liberalization after 1980 and further developed with the Customs Union in 1996. Regional specialization and industrial concentration are measured by GINI indices Turkey's NUTS-2 regions at the four-digit level for the years between 1980 and 2000. To investigate which variables determine industry concentration, systematic relation between the characteristics of the industry and industrial concentration is tested. Following the method proposed by Paluzie, Pons and Tirado, a panel regression equation is estimated, where the dependent variable is the Gini concentration index and the independent variables are the variables that represent the characteristics of the sectors that follow the predictions of classical trade theory, new trade theory and new economic geography. The major finding of the study is that during 1980–2000, Turkey's regions became more specialized and industry became more concentrated. Increases in the average values of regional specialization and industrial concentration support the prediction developed by Krugman hypothesis that regions become more specialized and industries become more concentrated with economic integration. In exploring the driving forces of industrial concentration, the findings demonstrate that firms tend to cluster in regions where there are economies of scale.