GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF THE FIXED ASSETS OF RURAL PLACES

The use of fixed assets data as a geographical research tool is illustrated with reference to a rural rayon [minor civil division] of Kaluga Oblast, southwest of Moscow. The value of fixed assets by places is correlated with population size, the position of places within the system of settlement of particular state farms or collective farms, and distance from towns. The share of productive assets (farm buildings and equipment) is found to reach a maximum in places with populations of 100 to 200. In larger places, the share of productive assets declines because of the higher value of housing and the presence of most service facilities. The share of productive assets also tends to be low in suburban places where a substantial portion of the population commutes to nearby towns.     

THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF MILK PRODUCTION IN THE MOSCOW REGION AND WAYS OF IMPROVING IT

Ways of improving the locational pattern of milk production and processing facilities in Moscow Oblast are investigated in order to: (a) reduce the volume of long-distance whole milk imports during winter; (b) increase the size of the dairy herd in the Moscow Region, especially in the west, through more effective utilization of natural pasture and cultivated fodder; and (c) promote a shift in animal husbandry toward dairy stock in areas fringing the capital. Milk processing facilities are compared in terms of production capacity, direct sales versus shipments to higher-order processors, and percentage of output consumed within the oblast and by Moscow (translated by Andrew R. Bond).     

COMMUTING LINKS AT LOWER LEVELS OF RURAL SETTLEMENT

The study of commuting links in rural areas of the Non-Chernozem Zone offers a useful approach to the redesign of settlement patterns. Commuting to work is analyzed in 80 primary settlement systems (farm systems) in five rayons of Vologda Oblast. Most of the commuting streams are found to occur toward the central farm settlements within systems and also between adjacent systems, with rural nonfarm places (both industry-based and transport based) offering the principal opportunities for employment. Commuting is analyzed in terms of two indices: a labor-balance index (relating resident population and employment opportunities) and a commuting intensity index (relating the number of commuters to resident population).     

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 USE OF ANALYTICAL METHODS OF MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS FOR IDENTIFYING RURAL PLACES WITH GROWTH PROSPECTS: (with particular reference to Kaliningrad Oblast)

One of the key objectives in the rural development program for the Nonchernozem Zone of the RSFSR is the consolidation of rural settlement in larger places. An example of the dispersed settlement pattern is Kaliningrad Oblast, which has a total of 1,527 rural places ranging from fewer than 5 to more than 2,000 inhabitants, with a total rural population of 195,529 (1970 census). The author shows that growth prospects are dependent on a combination of five factors—geographical setting and level of development; population; fixed assets in agriculture; nonfarm fixed assets; availability of services—and, using correlation analysis, identifies 283 places with prospects of future growth, ranging from 32 in the 51–100 size class to one of more than 2,000 population. The preservation of some small rural places is termed inevitable because many serve as outlying settlements for livestock subdivisions of collective and state farms, and dairy and beef cattle represents a characteristic type of farming in Kaliningrad Oblast.     

THE IMPACT OF THE SYSTEM OF MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS ON AGRICULTURE

Mathematical techniques are used to test the hypothesis that Soviet farm efficiency, as reflected in farm profit rates, is higher in areas where the boundaries of collective and state farms coincide with the boundaries of rural soviets, the lowest local government areas. Conversely, farm performance suffers when farm territories are broken up among two or more rural soviets. The use of Karl Pearson's coefficient of contingency, which may be used to measure the strength of a relationship between qualitative variables, shows a positive relationship between farm profit rates and boundary coincidence. The authors therefore urge frequent review of local government areas to insure that they correspond to the boundaries of agricultural operating units.     

LEAD POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT FROM AUTOMOTIVE EXHAUST GASES

The impact of lead contamination of soils and plants along highways of Novgorod Oblast (between Moscow and Leningrad) is investigated. Lead content in roadside soils and crops is compared with control plots situated at a greater distance from highways. Lead content in soils up to 100 meters from roadways is found to be up to 15 times higher than in control plots; lead content in roadside crops, up to 10 meters from roadways, is found to be up to six times higher than in control plots. It is recommended that dwellings and garden plots be moved back from highways beyond the harmful zone. In the case of Novgorod Oblast such a protective roadside zone should be 100 meters wide.     

Some Questions Relating to the Formation of Urban Population

In the absence of Soviet census data on processes of formation of urban population, the author analyzes the origins of industrial workers in four urban centers of Moscow Oblast. He finds that the extent of the labor-supply area depends on the availability of local labor, the character of the skills required, the traditional occupations and work skills of the population, and certain aspects of a planned economy, such as the compulsory assignment of graduates to specific jobs and areas.     

THE SHAPES OF MOSCOW OBLAST CITIES

An analysis of the shapes of cities in the Moscow region finds that the linear, elongated form tends to predominate over the compact. City layout often derives from the arrangement of the axes of development. In many Moscow Oblast cities, these axes are the transport corridors radiating out of Moscow, and the corridors, often made up of parallel railroad, highway and river, account for the pronounced elongation of city shapes. From a historical perspective, linearity developed mainly in the last 50 to 60 years as new industrial plants and housing developments sprang up along the transport corridors. The author cautions against unhindered development of linearity since it may ultimately produce continuously urbanized belts along the major transport corridors radiating out of Moscow. Such a development is viewed as undesirable from the standpoint of regional planning because it would obliterate recreational facilities, which are now situated mainly along these transport routes.     

An Evaluation of the Territory of Moscow Oblast in Terms of Physiologic-Climatic Parameters

A regionalization of Moscow Oblast is derived from a physiologic-climatic evaluation for purposes of settlement and recreation. The evaluation is based on the frequency of occurrence of particular classes of weather through the year. The most common classes in Moscow Oblast are the 1C class (light negative heat balance), which is determined by global macrofactors and produces an undifferentiated background in the oblast, and the N class (comfortable condition of heat equilibrium) and 2C class (moderately negative heat balance), which reflect more localized factors and can be used for a differentiated evaluation of physiologic-climatic conditions. Eleven physiologic-climatic regions are delimited on the basis of the difference between the number of days with comfortable conditions (N class) and the number of moderately cold days (2C class). Optimal conditions for settlement and recreation are found south and southeast of Moscow; the most unfavorable in the low-lying swampy Dubna area, where the Moscow-Volga canal meets the Volga River.     

DYNAMICS OF POPULATION IN THE UKRAINIAN SSR (1959-1984)

Analysis of change in the spatial distribution of population in the Ukrainian SSR demonstrates a pronounced shift toward the east and south, and toward the major metropolitan area of Kiev and Kiev Oblast. An upsurge in city growth in the least urbanized, western Ukraine, coupled with steady, above-average urban growth in other locations, has contributed to gradual erosion of the Donets-Dnieper Region's dominance in urban population. Accelerated rates of rural population decline in western areas of highest rural population concentration has promoted a gradual equalization of the distribution of rural population (translated by H. L. Haslett, Birmingham, UK).     

THE PROBLEM OF DEVELOPING RURAL SERVICES IN NOVGOROD OBLAST

Novgorod Oblast, in northwestern Russia, has been distinguished by a high rate of rural outmigration and depletion of agricultural labor resources. One key factor in slowing the flight from the land is an improvement in the quality and range of rural services. The impact of adequate services is shown by available data on the distribution of rural population by distance from service centers. The rate of decline of rural population is generally found to be lower in places near service centers than in more remote places. Since most of the rural places are too small to support service establishments, it is recommended that services be expanded in about 200 central places that show promise of future growth.     

The use of Savings-Bank Statistics in Economic Geography

Soviet savings-bank statistics are examined as a potential source of data in economic-geographic research, with particular reference to four distinctive areas of Donetsk Oblast (Yenakiyevo, a large coal-steel city; Debal'tsevo, a middle-size railroad town; a suburban rural area; and a purely rural area). The average deposit balance in rural areas tends to be larger and more stable than in cities. City dwellers view savings banks as a place for keeping temporarily available money while rural residents use the banks for savings for particular purposes (home building, automobile purchase, etc.). The coefficient of territorial concentration (the ratio of the mean deposit in the local area to the mean deposit in the oblast as a whole) reflects differences in income levels. The mean deposit tends to be highest in suburban rural areas, where employment in the central city is supplemented by the sale of produce from private garden plots. Income levels in Yenakiyevo, with its high-paid labor force in the coal and steel industries, are higher than among the railroad workers of Debal'tsevo. Changes in deposit balances through the year also reflect urban and rural peculiarities in family incomes and expenditures.     

新疆墨玉县农村劳动力转移调查及动力机制研究

近年来,南疆少数民族农村劳动力转移的规模不断扩大,外出务工收入成为当地农民收入的主要来源之一。本文在分析墨玉县农村劳动力转移现状的基础上根据2007年的抽样调查数据和2002年以来墨玉县经济社会发展的相关数据,采用多层次多因素灰色关联分析和Logistic回归分析,从宏观和微观两个层面上探讨劳动力转移的动力机制。宏观层面上,农村基本经济指标与劳动力转移的关系密切;微观层面影响农村劳动力转移的驱动力按强弱依次为家庭人口数、是否为低收入户、在读学生数、户均可耕地面积等。最后得出结论,新疆少数民族农村劳动力转移的主要驱动力来自农村内部,来自城镇的拉力作用不明显,而受自然条件、经济发展水平和民族观念等因素的影响,劳动力转移的摩擦力较大。     

NEW APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF POPULATION DYNAMICS IN CITIES OF MOSCOW OBLAST

Quantitative analysis of historical trends in city growth rates within Moscow Oblast (1926-1984) reveals two major components or city types: a group of cities with below-(oblast) average rates for each of five periods of analysis (1926-39, 1939-59, 1959-70, 1970-79, 1979-84) and a second category experiencing above-average growth until 1970, with subsequent reduction of rates below the oblast average. Further breakdown of the two major components reveals seven smaller groups, analysis of the spatial patterns of which can provide a basis for planning recommendations on the future development of the region (translated by H. L. Haslett, Birmingham, UK).     

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL NONFARM PLACES IN THE USSR

According to the 1970 census, the Soviet Union had 37,800 rural nonfarm places with a combined population of 6.1 million, or 5.8 percent of the rural population. The census data are believed to understate the number and population of nonfarm places because they assigned rural places to the nonfarm category purely on the basis of their generic designation. Many multifunctional nonfarm places and rural places that serve as administrative centers and have little relation to agriculture were not categorized as nonfarm in the census. Although many of the smaller nonfarm places are likely to be eliminated over time, others will continue to perform clearly defined functions in industry, construction, transportation, and services. The situation is illustrated with particular reference to Novosibirsk Oblast.     

The Character of Demographic Processes and their Impact on City Growth in Moscow Oblast

The character of demographic processes (population growth, natural increase, migration, age-sex structure) is analyzed for cities of Moscow Oblast both by size classes and by their location in three concentric rings around Moscow. The demographic indicators tend to be particularly negative in cities of the outer zone of Moscow Oblast, mainly one-industry textile towns, in which the high female component of the labor force tends to create an unbalanced demographic situation. Positive demographic processes are most evident in middle-size cities (20,000 to 100,000) in the green belt and suburban zone around Moscow that arose or developed mainly during the Soviet period. They are largely associated with heavy industry and scientific research and development. The analysis suggests the need for greater development of outer-zone towns, which have been lagging in growth, and a need for avoiding the existence of one-industry towns, even as part of a cluster of places.     

COMPARATIVE GEOGRAPHY OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE USSR: AN INITIAL INVESTIGATION

Several aspects of the distribution of institutions of higher education and their graduates are compared for the Soviet Union and the United States. The concentration of institutions and students is found to be greater in the USSR. Differences in regional enrollment rates relative to the location of institutions and students may be partly explained by differences in the curriculum structure of American and Soviet institutions of higher education and the greater degree of local control over higher education in the United States. A direct relationship exists in both countries between the percentage of graduates in a region and percentage urban and per capita income. Regional inequality in the percentage of graduates in urban versus rural areas is much greater in the USSR while regional inequality in the percentage of male and female graduates was only somewhat greater in the United States. Level of urbanization, migration of students and graduates, economic opportunity and economic structure are seen as important factors helping explain regional variation in the distribution of graduates.     

A COMPARATIVE-GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE OF URBAN TRANSPORT NETWORKS IN MOSCOW AND LENINGRAD

A graph-analytic technique is used to compare the public transport networks in Moscow and Leningrad. The technique makes it possible to identify gaps in the public transport systems of the two cities and to suggest remedial measures. In general, the public transport system of Leningrad is found to be better integrated than that of Moscow. The transport network of Moscow is more heavily dissected than that of Leningrad, lacks enough lateral connections between outlying city areas (as opposed to linkages between outlying areas and the city center), and generally lags in providing electric ground transportation (street cars and trolley buses) to newly developed residential areas.     

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.