Nelipa K. Transformation of the regional settlement system of Zaporizhzhya region (socio-geographical research)

In the dissertation the study of spatial-temporal peculiarities of the transformation of the settlement system of Zaporizhzhya region was carried out, key problems and ways of their solution were determined. In the work the theoretical principles are formulated, the conceptual-terminological apparatus of socio-geographical research of the regional settlement system is improved. The settlement system is determined by a complex socio-spatial process, which includes both a network and links between settlements. It is substantiated that the settlement system is the object of socio-geographical research. The structure of the regional settlement system is defined and systematized in 3 directions: by elements, by functions and by the hierarchy. The concept of transformation of settlement system is revealed. The research methodology consists of four stages: theoretical-methodological, evaluation, analytical-synthetic, forecast-recommendation. The square of the region area occupied by buildings and its share of the total area of the region is determined. In work identifies and evaluates the factors of formation and transformation of the settlement system of the Zaporizhzhya region. The spatial-temporal features of transformation of the settlement system of Zaporizhzhya region are revealed. As a result of the study, settlement and structural transformations were analyzed. Settlements are characterized by a decrease in the amount of rural settlements and an increase in urban, and structural - by the growth of population concentration in urban settlements and long-term departures in rural areas.