Mining monotowns in Russia

The authors discuss the issues and ways of improvement of monotown territories accommodating mining and metallurgical plants. The range of the problems faced by the single-industry towns due to the direct relation between the town development and the major employer activity is presented along with the factors that govern the economic efficiency of the major employer. The state of the mining monotowns in Russia is reviewed, and the monotowns are grouped relative to the activity of the major employer (iron ore mining and ferrous metallurgy; coal production; nonferrous metallurgy; uranium extraction and processing; cement production; diamond mining, etc.). The current condition of the single-industry towns in diff erent branches of industry is analyzed. The emphasis is laid on mining settlements in the extreme northern areas where it is necessary to move residents-employees to more comfortable regions after mine closure. It is shown that it is typical of majority of the single-industry towns engaged in the same industrial activity that they generate clusters of settlements, which favors cooperation and integration of personnel and initiates ef ective pendulum internal migration of residents between unfortunate and fortunate centers of agglomeration. The data on inhabited agglomerations, including mining monotowns, are presented. The discussed scenarios of economical re-arrangement of monotowns are backed by case studies. The authors prove the leading role of the State that administers and supports business activity in the single-industry towns and in adjacent territory (Monotown Development Foundation, establishment of territories of advanced social-andeconomic development, etc.).