2013

Часопис соціально-економічної географії

випуск 15(2)

УДК 911.3

Lyudmyla Niemets, Kateryna Segida, Yuliia Yakovleva

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF RURAL AREA IN DONETSK REGION
The article is devoted to reveal the specific features of social infrastructure of rural areas in Donetsk region. Urgency of the object-subject field of research is given. The features by different part of social infrastructure (educational, cultural, medical, sanitary and resort, housing and communal, trade, transport and communication infrastructures) are analyzed by time and territorial aspects. The basic directions of optimization of social infrastructure in rural areas of Donetsk region are given. Keywords: social infrastructure, educational and cultural infrastructure, medical, sanitary and resort infrastructure, housing and communal infrastructure, trade infrastructure, transport and communication infrastructure. Людмила Нємець, Катерина Сегіда, Юлія Яковлєва. СПЕЦИФІЧНІ РИСИ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ СІЛЬСЬКОЇ МІСЦЕВОСТІ ДОНЕЦЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ. Стаття присвячена розкриттю специфічних рис соціальної інфраструктури сільської місцевості Донецької області. Обґрунтована актуальність обєктно-предметного поля дослідження. У часовому та територіальному вимірах визначені особливості за окремими складовими соціальної інфраструктури, зокрема культурна, освітня, медична та санаторно-курортна, комунально-житлова, торговельна і транспортно-комунікаційна. Окреслені основні напрями оптимізації соціальної інфраструктури сільської місцевості Донецької області. Ключові слова: соціальна інфраструктура, сфера культури та освіти, медична та санаторно-курортна інфраструктура, торгове обслуговування, транспортно-комунікаційна інфраструктура. Людмила Немец, Екатерина Сегида, Юлия Яковлева. СПЕЦИФИЧЕСКИЕ ЧЕРТЫ СОЦИАЛЬНОЙ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРЫ СЕЛЬСКОЙ МЕСТНОСТИ ДОНЕЦКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ. Статья посвящена выявлению специфических характеристик социальной инфраструктуры сельской местности Донецкой области. Объяснена актуальность объектнопредметного поля исследования. Во временном и территориальном аспектах определены особенности по отдельным составляющим социальной инфраструктуры: образовательной, культурной, медицинской и санаторно-курортной, жилищно-коммунальной, торговой, транспортной и коммуникационной. Очерчены основные направления оптимизации социальной инфраструктуры сельской местности Донецкой области. Ключевые слова: социальная инфраструктура, сфера культуры и образования, медицинская и санаторнокурортная инфраструктура, торговое обслуживание, транспортно-коммуникационная инфраструктура.

Urgency of the subject of the research. In recent years in society we can observe the tendency of deterioration of the level of social infrastructure in rural areas. To consider reasons of the process with its head tendencies and ways of the problem solution Donetsk Region was chosen. This Region is industrially developed and one of the most populated ones in Ukraine. There is about 90 per cent of population who live in towns, and the tendency of urban population growth is continuing as infrastructure of countryside is unable to satisfy people’s demands. Investigations in tendencies of Donetsk Region’s social infrastructure in countryside and its role in the region’s economic policy are the task of great importance having practical interest. It will allow opportunities determination for more effective utilization of funds designed for specified industries, and contribute in the search of new forms, directions of development, and ways of optimization. Analysis of previous studies. To develop social infrastructure in rural areas is the extraordinarily hard task that, considering modern situation that has formed in Ukraine as well as the presence of crisis manifestations, is being transformed into the complicated problem connected with the long-term process of social priorities’ reorientation [6]. The issue of social sphere functioning with its material foundation (infrastructure) was considered in works by numerous national and foreign representatives of science and practice. In particular, the issues of social development were dealt with in works by O.M. Alimov, S.I. Bandura, B.M. Danylishyn, S.I. Doroguntsov, and T.I. Arbuzova. As for development of social infrastructure on regional level it was studied by _____________________________________ © Niemets L., Segida K., Yakovleva Y., 2013 115

Yu.B. Randolov, V.K. Yevdokimenko, S.V. Fimyar, L.L. Kovalska, A.L. Pavlova, and A.G. Yagodka. In the issue of development of social infrastructure of countryside the works by M.S. Platon, I.V. Prokop, etc. could be mentioned. Investigation in territorial peculiarities of rural areas’ social infrastructure in Donetsk Region was executed as a research work based upon the order by Yasynuvata City Division of Mobile Motor Vehicles Company (Contract No. 50-12 KhNU named after V.N. Karazin) the outcomes having been represented in [1-8]. Statement of basic material. In the conditions of transition to market relations with simultaneous humanization of the whole social production the priority development is mainly required by those economic systems that are connected with direct satisfaction of population’s needs (services) at the same time functioning like elements of market infrastructure [2]. Economic content of infrastructure is represented through the system of its functions among which the most important can be established as directly resulting from its economic sense, and namely to create general conditions for efficient functioning of structure forming kinds of economic activity in national economy as a whole, on separate territories, on the level of enterprises and their associations, and the social sphere in general including that in the countryside. Another function of infrastructure closely connected with the above is to form system. It contributes in unity provision for all reproduction phases in national economy as a whole and in its any structural section individually, by means of interrelations establishment in the process of reproduction. The third function of infrastructure includes arrangement of reliable commodity, monetary, information and other mutually interrelated flows

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thus forming general environment for dynamic stability of reproduction in necessary scales. One of head functions of infrastructure is creation of general environment for the increase of effectiveness of reproduction. It is clear that as a rule in the infrastructure complex any product itself is not produced while its main product is services. In this connection some difficulties arise in determination, qualitative effect expression and the result achieved in the sphere of infrastructural servicing [6]. Social infrastructure is the sphere that directly provides satisfaction of various people’s needs. It can be characterized as the complex of branches of national economy executing social and economic functions, satisfaction of people’s material and intellectual spiritual needs, and formation of normal conditions for life activity [2]. Thus social infrastructure is the special complex of branches of national economy including education, public health, culture, art, housing, communal services, trade, etc. Functional importance of these branches is in the fact that their activity is immediately directed towards people and society as a whole. Social infrastructure more and more influences upon the production effectiveness via people as the main production force. Besides, social infrastructure plays significant role in the increase of a human factor’s importance. So, on the ground of individual components of social infrastructure it is possible to establish specific features proper for social structure of rural areas of Donetsk Region. 1. Educational infrastructure. The number of kindergartens, comprehensive secondary schools as well as number of places in them is getting reduced. A good deal of countryside schools and kindergartens are placed in unsuitable or dangerous structures built in the first half of the XX century. Due to reduction of number of children forms and schools get larger while little kindergartens and schools are being closed. Children are delivered to institutions that are better equipped, and have more suitable conditions for education. In countryside schools there are no forms with advanced study of some disciplines, for example, the English language, Mathematics or Literature. It can be explained by the small number of pupils at schools and the lack of parallel forms. The number of specialized buses for pupils’ transportation is reduced. Material and technical base of educational institutions is poor (old textbooks, materials and technologies, methods and content of teaching not corresponding to quality requirements of the modern world). Qualification level of pedagogical staff is insufficient. It often happens in a country school that due to deficit of teachers, one person can teach several disciplines including those he or she is not qualified in. Vocational training schools are not numerous anywhere in the countryside: in Amvrosiyivka, Artemivsk, Velyka Novosilka, Volnovakha, Krasnoarmiysk, Maryanivka, Novoazovsk, Oleksandrivka, Starobesheve and Telmanove Area their number is not more than two. Higher educational institutions are absolutely absent [3]. Considering territorial development peculiarities of educational complex in Donetsk Region one can state that distribution is uneven. The northern part of the Region with the exclusion of Artemivsk Area, the northerneastern part, and the northern-western part are distin116

guished with the lowest indices of number of children per one educational institution that can be mainly explained by general little number of pre-school aged children. It is typical for rural areas that in the kindergarten they lack sufficient material and technical base for increasing the number of groups, and in one kindergarten there are one or at least two groups including children of various age categories which fact interferes with giving them necessary consideration. There are some key factors that determine positioning of schools, and namely population, territory of an area with the level of its economic development, and age groups structure of the population in the area [8]. 2. Cultural infrastructure. There exists general reduction of quantity of public and universal libraries with the reduction of book stocks in the countryside of Donetsk Region. This is connected with the number of readers’ reduction who better prefer electron informational sources due to development of Internet technologies. The exiting material and technical base is not sufficient today: social development results in the progress of new technologies that become more and more developed, so it would be important to introduce them in the sphere of culture, and libraries would need not only new books but computers with the access to Internet etc. The number of cultural institutions is getting shorter besides, they are situated in improper buildings that are sometimes are absolutely inapplicable. As for museums they are basically deal with history of a village or the life of famous persons who originated from or lived in the same area (Cossack Museum of Military and Labor Glory, Museum of Folk Architecture, Mode of Life and Children’s Creative Work in the Prelesne Village, and Forest Museum in Velyky Anadol) however the majority of museums are in critical state and suffer from the lack of financing. Theatre art in rural areas is not represented at all, and movies demonstration is getting reduced year by year as the result of not only poor development of technical base but the lack of interest from people. Sports institutions and structures are not widely-spread in villages and mainly include non-equipped stadiums and gyms and weight rooms belonging to different companies or enterprises. Music schools and art schools as well as schools for aesthetic education can be found in all areas however their number is not large, just 1 to 5 units per an area. There also exist folk song and dance groups [1, 3]. The best indices of readers’ number per one library belong to Shakhtarsk, Yasynuvata, Velyka Novosilka and Volodarsk Area due to the fact that in these areas the total number of libraries is shorter than in the Areas of Telmanove, Slovyansk, Krasny Lyman and Volnovakha that can be explained by the aforesaid factors. Considering the number of culture institutions one can state that the greatest one belongs to Volnovakha Area where the number of readers per one library is small while the lowest indices being in the abovementioned Yasynuvata and Volodarsk Area [3]. 3. Medical, sanitary and resort infrastructure. Development level of medical infrastructure in the countryside is not high enough, and this is connected with outdated methods of treatment and old fashioned technical base as equipment was mainly purchased during the

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Soviet period the majority of which is also outdated. Both low salaries of medical personnel and the lack of accommodation for young specialists form adverse conditions for renewal of youth among personnel of public health institutions in rural areas. In some villages there are no hospitals but outpatient departments and first-aid and obstetric stations. In recent years one can observe the dynamics of reduction with outpatient departments and first-aid and obstetric stations that is mainly connected with population decrease and integration of medical institutions of neighboring villages to one unit for the sake of maintenance costs reduction. The serious problem of medical service arising in countryside is connected with transport vehicles. In some villages they are absolutely absent or in unsatisfactory condition for patients’ transportation. In the recent years Government has paid attention at the problem, and some country hospitals got new ambulance cars. But it is not enough, and medical institutions require their full modernization and renewal as this would be the only way to improve conditions of medical aid for population. At the present moment the system of public health of Donets Region is in the state of optimization. They continue to take measures in reorganizing emergency medical service including formation of vertical system of the service management. The territory of the Region is famous of its favorable natural and geographical position so it has a great number of sanatorium and resort facilities the majority of which is concentrated in Slovyansk, Krasny Lyman, Oleksandrivka (pine forest and therapeutic muds), Pershotravneve and Novoazovsk Area. In areas close to such large industrial centers as Donetsk, Makiyivka, Yasynuvata and Yenakiyeve the proportion of healthimproving sanatorium and resort institutions is not high [1, 2]. 4. Housing and communal infrastructure. On the modern development level of rural area in Donetsk Region one can observe the decrease of housing stock data (in 2008 the housing stock of the Region equaled to 10,571.50 thousand square meters while in 2010 the figure got 10,462.30 thousand square meters) that can be explained by extremely low level of social infrastructure development in the countryside. As of 2008 in rural area there were average 24.5 square meters per capita. The index is growing: in 2010 it reached 24.8 square meters and in 2012 correspondingly 25.1 square meters. Though such growth is slow the dynamics is still positive. However despite of the achievements the requirement in housing is in excess of its offer. One should mention that in general the growth of square meters provision per capita is partially due to reduction of population. There is one more index characterizing the status of the sphere, and namely the price of housing and its dynamics. Beginning with 1999 one can detect the growth of prices of housing. In the Region they could distinguish some categories of localities based on the price for one square meter of housing: the regional center and Makiyivka Town with the highest price for housing, places with developed industries like machine building and chemistry, settlements with developed infrastructure, and villages and settlements without hospitals, schools, etc. [4]. The mostly provided with housing are Areas of Amvrosiyivka, Starobesheve, Kostyantynivka, Ar117

temivsk and Yasynuvata that is connected with the fact that on their lands and in the nearest proximity there are large industrial centers that in its turn influences the density of population of the given area. The lowest provision with housing is registered in Krasnoarmiysk, Oleksandrivka and Telmanove Areas that is explained by the absence of nearest developed industrial centers which could influence the Area’s economic progress as well as its population size. Considering data on the housing stock one could state that there is no permanent direct correspondence of the housing stock size to the level of population’s provision with the housing that can be explained by the aforesaid factors. As far as communal and housing services in the rural area of Donetsk Region are concerned there level is getting improved every year. Development of water supply system of any region depends first of all on water resources availability in it. The net of sewerage systems has now increased up to 50 villages that of course is not much for industrially developed region as Donetsk one. As for the quantity of water supplied for population it is regardless of the water supply system development that the volumes of water supplied are getting reduced. The share of villages provided with gas is growing permanently, and it has positive influence on the villages development. In the rural area one cannot find such service as garbage disposal, and as a rule people try to solve the problem themselves. During community work day village authorities organize cleaning, felling, etc. [4]. Complex of domestic services covers more than 900 kinds of services. In their total list maximal share belongs to individual custom tailoring and dress-making, repair of shoes and clothes, building and repair of houses, barber's shops and hairdressing salons, repair of radio and TV equipment, domestic mechanisms and devices, manufacture and repair of metal goods, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles. In the latest years there appeared a tendency of expansion of such services as domestic chemistry, chemical cleaning, laundries, cars rent, maintenance and repair however unfortunately the services are poorly represented in the countryside: the majority of these services are not rendered there. A typical example is as follows: repair of shoes is usually provided when a shoemaker comes to a village, people bring him there shoes, and he leaves, and brings people’s repaired shoes back in some days. As for barber's shops and hairdressing salons one cannot find them everywhere, and it often happens that they even are not officially registered. Thus inhabitants of villages get such services either in nearest towns or at private persons’ who are not legally registered, so it would be hardly possible to represent the dynamics of data on domestic services. 5. Trade infrastructure. During latest 12 years commodity circulation in retail trade of countryside demonstrated substantial growth that can be explained through price increase on goods and services as well as extension of assortment. Besides, usually in rural area the price of a commodity is higher than that of the same commodity in towns because shop owners take into account the fact that a village customer never travels to towns for only bread or cereals, and his or her transport costs would be in this case much higher, and this is the

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factor of the growth of commodity circulation in retail trade of countryside. In rural area there has been substantial reduction of the number of shops and semi-movable objects of trade (in 2008 the share of shops equaled to 447 thousand while in 2012 it has got 363 thousand; as for the number of semi-movable objects of trade their number in 2008 was 128 thousand, and in 2012 just 97 thousand) that is connected with economic disadvantageousness. So, in a small village it is inexpedient to keep 4 shops for food products as the demand on the products cannot be high due to small population. At the same time delivery of products like bread and cultured milk foods shall be regular, thus considering transport costs it is better to keep 2 shops with normal demand and the same costs of transportation. The share of restaurant system has also got reduced however less than in other spheres: for example, in 2008 the total number was 179, and in 2012 it became 169 i.e. during 5 years the reduction was only by 10 units [2, 4]. 6. Transport and communication infrastructure. Railway transport in rural area is mainly developed near big and middle towns that can be explained by industrial development of the Region. The overwhelming majority of countryside population uses motor vehicles. Transportation of country people is usually provided by private or partially governmental companies: there are 299 suburb routes. In the rural area the transport accessibility is not even, and situation depends on distances from towns, highways and railway stations [5]. Thus transport accessibility of any place is very important factor of its progress as it often provides social development. Communication means include telephone, entrance door intercom, telegraph, fax, telex, modem, loudspeaker, sea projector, radio stations, mobile telephones, and Internet. As for postal communication its role has got decreased. Today in rural area post offices are used by people for payment of communal services, subscription of newspapers and magazines, payment of pension

for retired persons however post-officers usually deliver cash to pensioners’. Earlier the net of fixed location telephone communication was widely spread, but now the number of persons who join it is getting shorter with the exclusion of elderly people. More and more people today prefer mobile communication, and in the rural area of Donetsk Region operators of MTS and UMC prevail. Internet technologies are spread wider every year which are mainly used by public institutions for operation and data exchange between units. Thus, in the period from the early 1990th tendencies of social and economic development in rural areas of Ukraine have demonstrated radical social and economic transformations, and are characterized now by rather contradictive nature that is first of all associated with too rapid tempo and unsatisfactory social effectiveness of these changes. Their background is insufficiently diversified economic structures of majority of countryside settlements, strengthening of problems typical for our society in implementation of social safety system and social protection of country population, as well as non-compliance with complex approach to development of countryside settlement patterns fixed in governmental construction norms and regulations. Conclusions. In spite of still being the most urbanized territory Donetsk Region suffers from serious problems and developmental retardation in rural area. What is typical for countryside people of the Region is rapid depopulation, ageing, decrease of living and prosperity level, low standards of social service, etc. Social structure of rural area shall correspond to social needs, satisfy requirements of the existing countryside population, and support processes of counter-urbanization based upon natural, geographical and ecologic life conditions on one hand, and phasic development of urbanization process on the other hand. Thus building of social infrastructure of rural area of Donetsk Region is to become one of key tasks of its social and economic development.

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References: Niemets L.N. Demograficheskiy faktor razvitiya socialnoy infrastruktury selskoy mestnosti (na primere Donetskoj oblasti Ukrainy) / L.N. Niemets, K.Yu. Segida, Yu.K. Jakovleva // Mogilevskiy chasopis. Tom 13. – Vyp. 3-4 (2223). (2013-№3-4 (22-23). – Mogilev: Mogilevskaya oblastnaya drukarnya imeni Spiredoga Sobolya, 2013, 160 s. – S. 37-40. Niemets L.N. Socialnye osobennosti razvitiya selskikh territoriy (na primere Donetskoy oblasti) / L.N. Niemets, K.Yu. Segida // Materialy III Vserossiyskaya mezhvedomstvennaya nauchno-prakticheskaya konferenciya «Municipalnye obrazovaniya Rossii (regionovedcheskiy analiz)». Niemets L. Peculiarities of countryside educational complex in Donetsk Region / L. Niemets, K. Segida, Yu. Yakovleva // Chasopys socіalno-ekonomіchnoyi geografіyi: Mіzhregіon. zb. nauk. prats. – Kharkіv: KhNU іmenі V.N. Karazіna, 2013. – Vyp. 14 (1). – S. 51-56. Niemets L.M. Komunalno-zhytlove hospodarstvo yak skladova socіalnoyi іnfrastruktury (na prykladі sіlskoyi mіscevostі Donetskoyi oblastі) / L.M. Niemets, K.Yu. Segіda, O.A. Zabіrchenko, L.V. Klyuchko // Zbіrnyk naukovykh prats «Vіsnyk Kharkіvskoho nacіonalnoho unіversytetu іmenі V.N. Karazіna: Geologіya – Geografіya – Ekologіya». – Vypusk № 1049. – Kharkіv: KhNU іmenі V.N. Karazіna, 2013. – S. 142 – 149. Niemets L.M. Osoblyvostі transportno-komunіkacіynoyi іnfrastruktury sіlskoyi mіscevostі Donetskoyi oblastі / L.M. Niemets, K.Yu. Segіda, Yu.K. Yakovleva // Zbіrnyk naukovykh prats «Vіsnyk Kharkіvskoho nacіonalnoho unіversytetu іmenі V.N. Karazіna: Geologіya – Geografіya – Ekologіya», 2013. – Rezhym dostupu: http://hydrogeology.univer.kharkov.ua/index.php/naukova-robota-1/naukovij-visnik Niemets L.M. Pro osoblyvostі doslіdzhennya socіalnoyi іnfrastruktury sіlskoyi mіscevostі Donetskoyi oblastі / L.M. Niemets, K.Yu. Segіda, Yu.K. Yakovleva, O.V. Polevych // Regіon – 2012: strategіya optimalnoho rozvytku: materіaly naukovo-praktychnoyi konferencіyi z mіzhnarodnoyu uchastyu (m. Kharkіv, 25 – 26 zhovtnya 2012 r. / Hol. red. kolegіyi V.S. Bakіrov. – Kh.: KhNU іmenі V.N. Karazіna, 2012. – S. 221 – 225. 118

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Summary Lyudmyla Niemets, Kateryna Segida, Yuliia Yakovleva. SPECIFIC FEATURES OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF RURAL AREA IN DONETSK REGION. The article is devoted to reveal the specific features of social infrastructure of rural areas in Donetsk region. This region is industrially developed and one of the most populated in Ukraine. There is about 90 % of population who live in towns, and the tendency of urban population growth is continuing as infrastructure of countryside is unable to satisfy people’s demands. The features of the individual components of social infrastructure were identified. Specifically, each year, the number of facilities of social infrastructure and the quality of public services are reduced. In the educational field observed the enlargement of groups in kindergartens and secondary schools, the deteriorating of educational quality and quality of existing infrastructure, the opportunities for primary and secondary education in the districts are not the same. In medical infrastructure is marked the decrease in the number of institutions and professionals, the uneven availability of people to receive the needed services, obsolete equipment, etc. Sanatorium and resort facilities are located nearby seashore and Seversky Donets river. Most villages have problems with water, gas, sewer maintenance. The existing network of trade infrastructure is able to meet only the daily needs of the population. The development of transport and communication infrastructure undergoes a positive change with the inclusion of new technical and technological means, at the same time, in rural areas these trends occur with a delay in time. In general, the territorial problem of providing rural social infrastructure correlated with spatial location: closer to industrial center (more developed city) is better developed the network infrastructure. Keywords: social infrastructure, educational and cultural infrastructure, medical, sanitary and resort infrastructure, housing and communal infrastructure, trade infrastructure, transport and communication infrastructure.

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