Urbanization Crisis in Magadan Oblast, Late 1980s to 2010s: Analyzing Structural and Demographic Trends

Introduction. The analysis of urbanization processes experienced by Magadan Oblast in recent decades is a most important component in understanding essentials and peculiarities of the urbanization agenda in the whole of Russia’s Far East. Historical experiences of the region attest to that urbanization processes across the eastern economic regions of Russia are highly dependent on actual conditions and prospects of mining industries, presence / absence of paternalism in policies of federal and regional authorities towards urban settlements that show no promise for further industrial development. So, mining and government support have deepest impacts on urbanization processes in Magadan Oblast. Goals. The study aims at analyzing key results of the Soviet urbanization program across Magadan Oblast, certain structural and demographic transformations of the region’s urban settlement network that took place in the 1990s to 2010s. Materials and methods. The work employs a set of general scientific tools, the statistical method, and those of specifically historical research (e.g., the chronological one) — for analytical insights into official statistics, national, regional and local regulations. Results. The study shows the urbanization crisis in the region is associated with its deindustrialization in the 1990s–2000s. The decline of the entire urban settlement network has manifested itself in both structural and demographical patterns. Two cities of the region — Magadan and Susuman — have experienced significant population losses, though still retaining their ‘city’ status. Meanwhile, 15 out of 34 urban-type settlements had been abandoned or abolished by the early 2020s. The policy of abolishing depressed settlements has been developed in the region, which is supported by federal and regional programs that facilitate resettlement — from districts of the Extreme North and rural localities to the capital city of Magadan. The urban population has reduced by 58.6 % during the mentioned period, while the dramatic rural population decrease of 90 % means that the region’s internal urbanization resources are almost completely exhausted. Conclusions. Urbanization prospects in the region are primarily tied to somewhat further development of Magadan and its agglomeration, the latter to include two near-capital districts in the south. At the same time, new projects of economic development in the region are increasingly associated with activities of shift workers’ townships.