Socio-Ecological Problems of the Development of Young Cities in the Oil and Gas Complex of Western Siberia (Case of Muravlenko)

Abstract

The formation of the oil and gas complex in the north of Western Siberia in the 1960s–1980s gave rise to large-scale urbanization processes. These processes included the creation of a number of small, young cities serving the oil fields. The development of these cities was accompanied by a range of specific socio-ecological problems related to environmental protection, ensuring optimal ecosystem functions of urban nature in the subarctic climate, and creating recreational infrastructure that meets the needs of different population groups in the city. The article analyzes the specific socio-ecological factors of sustainable development of small young Arctic cities in the oil-producing complex of Western Siberia, using Muravlenko, a typical example, as an example. Muravlenko is located in the south of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District of the Tyumen Region. It is concluded that the main socio-ecological factors of sustainable development of Muravlenko
include the provision of environmental protection measures, the development of the city's ecological framework, and the creation of a comfortable recreational infrastructure based on it, which corresponds to the demographic transformations associated with the process of settling in a young city. The main factor determining the future development prospects of Muravlenko is the state of the oil production facilities associated with the city, which not only provide a significant portion of the city's population with jobs but also implement their own social responsibility programs that have a direct impact on the city's level of development.