Suburbanization in Chelyabinsk region

Today I would like to tell you about quite new settlement, which was created more than 10 years ago not far from a big city called Chelyabinsk.

Ecological aspect
But first of all, I would like to touch one important aspect. Chelyabinsk region is famous for its industry. According to the latest information, this region takes almost the last place in the environmental rating among other regions in Russia.
So, there are a lot of ecological problems in Chelyabinsk which are getting bigger and bigger because in the city there are more than 30 factories. And some factories will be built soon.

Sociological aspect
Because of big quantity of ecological problems, we can see the process of suburbanization that means the active development of different areas which are situated around big cities.
Suburbanization and deurbanization are different terms. It’s not the same. It’s important to remember this. Because in this case people don’t change their lifestyle. They continue working in the city. Every day it takes a lot of time to get to the job. It means that they don’t accept countryside model of development of social space and time. Suburbanization appeared due to the development of mass motorization.

Location on the map
We will talk about one of the most famous and the newest modern village of Chelyabinsk region called «lesnoy ostrov». My parents had built the house there and moved two years ago. It is situated not far from Chelyabinsk. But ecology is much better and the air is fresher because there are big lake and enormous forest.

Territory and organization of space
«Lesnoy ostrov» is a place which reminds tiny, quiet and picturesque town. The territory is divided into 8 parts. The total area is more than 200 hectares. In the part called «Gorki» there are the richest people and there are the most expensive plods of land and also there is a special red asphalt. In the village we can see the common style. It is reached with the help of identical fences.In addition, there are some small areas with the same houses which have the same architectural style. For example, it’s an «Olympic village» and «Prague houses». But there are some people which want to stand out with the help of their unusual houses. Thus we are going to discuss social composition of the village.

Social composition
At the moment more than 600 families in Lesnoy ostrov. Mostly residents of the village are classified as people with upper-middle, high and the highest income in Chelyabinsk region. The majority of inhabitants are young families with little babies or people at the age of under 45. People who live in Lesnoy ostrov work in the government departments or in politics. Also there are professors from different universities and large (the biggest) entrepreneurs who run the business distantly.

It’s interesting that residents have formed a strong community. For example, every day you can open the chat of Lesnoy ostrov in what’s app and read the actual news and to take part in discussion concerned the daily problems. From time to time inhabitants collect money to organize some events or to build some different constructions, for example, summerhouse for everyone.

Events
Every year there are different entertainment evets such as «maslenitsa», «may say», «day of the village» and «happy new year».
The famous artist and sponsors are called on these events. Also inhabitants can try to drive different cars and to win some nice prizes. For example, my mom has taken part in one competition and has won a tablet. The main aim of such events is not only for entertainment but also to form the image of the village and to improve social communication between the residents.

Infrastructure
If we talk about infrastructure, there are summer caf;, medical centre, business centre, where you can visit the sporty or beauty salon. There are a beach and two ponds. Moreover, the supermarket called «Lesovichok» was opened six month ago.
Slide 10. The advantages are the football and hockey playgrounds and a lot of places where children can play and spend their time. The only disadvantage is the lack of kinder gardens and schools but there is a children’s club with a bit amount of activities and entertainment courses. Let’s watch the video made by residents where they talk about their life in the village.

Lesnoy ostrov. My opinion
I really like this place, but I understand that it’s a quite difficult to live there if you are a student or young employee who needs to wake up early and get to the job or meet with friends, especially, you don’t have a car. I always visit my parents and mu dog with a big pleasure that’s why I believe that it is the best place for the rest because only there you can stay on the harmony with the nature and have quiet life.

Conclusion
Therefore, Lesnoy ostrov is one of the places where the citizens of Chelyabinsk are moving progressively. The outskirts area are getting wider, lower-rise houses and cottages are built every day and it is a good way for citizens to run away from noisy and polluted city.
To sum up, I really guess that nowadays in Chelyabinsk there is a process of suburbanization. But, unfortunately, not everyone can move to the outskirts because can’t afford and there are not only advantages but also disadvantages.


1. Лесной остров. Официальный сайт. URL: https://www.lesnoyostrov.ru
2. Нефедова Т. Г., Покровский Н. Е., Трейвиш А. И. Урбанизация, дезурбанизация и сельско-городские сообщества в условиях роста горизонтальной мобильности // Социологические исследования. 2015. № 12. С. 60-69.
3. Экологический рейтинг регионов России. URL: