Social Development of Russian Nuclear Power Plant Cities

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the influence of historical factors on the development of Russian cities of nuclear power industry and the genetic types of these cities. Most of these cities are young, their socioeconomic state depends on the city-forming enterprise. The formation and development of nuclear power plant (NPPs) cities went in two ways: the city was built in parallel with the nuclear power plant (e.g., Novovoronezh, Desnogorsk, Kurchatov); the NPP was built near the settlement, and then NPP has influenced on socioeconomic development of the settlement, its employment structure, etc. (Volgodonsk and Balakovo). In USSR/Russia practice, the first way dominated, when an urban-type settlement was built near a NPP, such settlement then intensively grew and developed into a city. There are three types of Russian cities with NPPs: the cities formed and developed before the construction of the NPP; the cities developed due to the operation of NPPs, and the cities created and developed due to the operation of NPPs. It was found that the factor of formation of nuclear power industry in the city is decisive in the social development of almost all cities of NPPs and affects their current state.