Contemporary trends in the rural settlement system of the northern territories

   This article examines the rural population distribution system in Russia's northern regions, noting that its preservation and development are determined by natural and climatic factors and the needs of the country's defense capability. A review of scientific literature has shown that no-man's-land cannot be held; any marginal territory must be populated and have an active owner, and the decline of rural settlements leads to space compression and depopulation. Rural population dynamics are analyzed for the period 1939–2024, noting that each region experienced a peak in population, but ultimately, all experienced a decline. At the municipal level, rural population dynamics are examined during the 2010–2021 intercensal period. In 69.0 % of northern municipalities, the rural population decreased, and in 26.9 %, it decreased by more than a quarter. From 1970 to 2021, the overall number of rural settlements tended to decline. However, in the 2000s, the number of rural settlements increased across Russia as a whole and in most northern regions. This can be explained by the reclassification of a number of unviable urban-type settlements as rural settlements. The article highlights the phenomenon of an increase in "uninhabited rural settlements" in the Russian North, particularly in the European North. This is partly due to gaps in land ownership legislation. The average population of rural settlements in the country as a whole and in the Asian North has steadily increased, while in the European North it has tended to decline. Polarization was observed in the structure of rural settlements: against a backdrop of overall decline, there was an increase in settlements with populations of up to 5,000 and over 5,000, while a concentration of population was observed in large settlements.

   The article concludes by emphasizing the need to develop a program to preserve rural settlements in the Russian North.

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