Rural settlement in the far east in the context of the implementation of regional development programs (on the example of the Amur region)

Determining the prospects for spatial development, improving the settlement system is becoming one of the most important elements of the socio-economic development programs of the regions. The presence of significant regional features precludes the possibility of developing an effective spatial policy based on the prevailing general theoretical ideas about the ongoing regional processes. The authors aim to assess the transformations taking place in the system of rural settlement of the largest agricultural region of the Far East, allowing to formulate promising directions for improving regional spatial policy. The assessment of transformations involves the consistent implementation of the following stages: the formation of the typology of municipalities in the region; analysis of changes taking shape in municipalities representing different types; identification of possible causes of the differences that have formed. The authors have developed a methodology for assessing the attractiveness of rural settlements based on a typology that takes into account the natural and climatic characteristics of their location and differences in the availability of services provided in regional service centers of different levels. The approbation of the methodology was carried out on the example of the Amur region. The analysis is based on a database formed as a result of population censuses and current statistical reporting data of rural settlements of the Amur region. The significant influence of differentiation of natural and climatic conditions, proximity to regional centers of public service and the level of their development on the emerging demographic dynamics has been revealed. The analysis has shown that the previously existing asymmetry in spatial development remains at a high level, indicating the absence of an effective spatial policy that ensures the improvement of the settlement system of the region.