Problems of accelerated urbanization of the Baikal region

The article describes the concept of urbanization in the narrow and broad sense. To study the problems of urbanization processes in the Soviet period we have considered three entities of the Baikal region: Irkutsk Oblast, Zabaykalsky Krai and the Republic of Buryatia. The results from the analysis of the population for 1990-2018 identified negative trends in settlement of these regions. This fact makes actual the problem of the Baikal region urbanization under the conditions of reduced population. An analysis of the history of the regions showed the problems of accelerated urbanization and industrialization, such as a dramatic reduction in rural population, a gap in the level of regional development, and insufficient infrastructure to ensure normal life of urban population. The article also considers labor migration as an indicator of the region appeal for prospective employee. In conclusion, we have proposed some ways for solving the problems of accelerated urbanization and industrialization.