Modern Transformation of Rural Settlement (by the Example of Verhnelenye, Irkutsk Region)

This study is aimed at an interconnected study of the settlement, dynamics and migration concentration of the population within the deep Siberian regions. The transformation of the settlement of the Verkhnelensky districts (Zhigalovsky and Kachugsky) of the Irkutsk region is considered as an example of compression of the rural settlement system. Retrospective, statistical, cartographic and comparative geographical methods were used; Settlements and rural municipalities are taken as the units of statistical observation. To identify the characteristics of population distribution, a dasymetric method was used. The contours of completely populated areas were calculated and drawn with a radius of 3 km from the boundaries of the populated area. Converging spots form completely populated spaces, from which linear-band settlement elements extend along the paths of old communications (rivers and roads). The study area of Verkhnelenye is mostly heterogeneously populated, with a sparse network of settlements, predominantly of a focal nature. Features, trends and details of population dynamics are identified, taking into account the actual distribution of the population. Negative consequences of population dynamics is the decrease in the share of Upper Lena districts in the population of the Irkutsk region from five to one percent over the period 1939–2024. Currently, settlement areas have formed along transport communications and river valleys; the highest population density remains within a 60-minute radius of accessibility from regional centers. Modern market conditions, through the strengthening of economic and economic-geographical contrasts, expressed through the main elements of the settlement framework in the form of centers and local highways, affect demographic and production processes, and then resettlement.