Yushchenko I.V. Determinants of the Formation of a Settlement Skeleton in the Recreational Space of Regions of Southern Russia

Irina  V. Yushchenko
Branch of the MIREA – Russian Technological University in Stavropol, Stavropol, Russian Federation

Abstract. The article is devoted to the analysis of a spatial settlement skeleton in the recreational spaces of the European South of Russia – a macroregion stretching from the Lower Don to the Greater Caucasus Range, bordered by the Black, Azov, and Caspian Seas. The aim of the study is to identify the determinants of formation, infrastructure challenges, and development prospects of a frontal-radial-mixed system of the settlement skeleton. This system integrates coastal clusters of the Southern Federal District (Greater Sochi – Anapa) and foothill nodes of the North Caucasus Federal District (Caucasian Mineral Waters). The relevance stems from the strategic role of the region as an internal recreational resource of Russia, which faces overloaded road networks, deteriorated infrastructure, coastal erosion, and sanctions-related constraints under the national project “Infrastructure for Life”. Scientific novelty  lies in a comprehensive comparison of determinants (historical, geographical, economic, socio-demographic, and geopolitical) of the spatial settlement skeleton formation in the recreational spaces of Southern Russia. It also involves systematising the complementarity of the “export front – stable home front” model and developing recommendations for a polycentric settlement skeleton of the “Greater Caucasus” by 2030. Methods: comparative typological analysis, cartographic method, matrix tables, factor analysis of determinants, and GIS modelling of transport axes. Materials: Rosstat data, field data, and scientific literature. Results revealed a frontal-linear structure of coastal recreational spaces in the Southern Federal District and a radial-ray structure of foothill recreational spaces in the North Caucasus Federal District. The study also identified economic space polarisation, infrastructure bottlenecks, and development prospects for a polycentric recreational space based on a mixed (frontal-radial) format of the settlement skeleton. A complementary settlement skeleton in the recreational spaces of Southern Russia ensures sustainability through the synergy of mass appeal and specialisation, construction of ring highways, digitalisation of flows, and promotion of the macroregional brand “Greater Caucasus” to diversify against geopolitical risks.
Key words: settlement skeleton, tourism and recreation skeleton, recreational spaces, infrastructure, determinants of skeleton, thalassotherapy, balneology, frontal-linear structure, radial-ray structure, network-node pattern.
Citation. Yushchenko I.V., 2026. Determinants of the Formation of a Settlement Skeleton in the Recreational Space of Regions of Southern Russia. Regionalnaya ekonomika. Yug Rossii [Regional Economy. South of Russia], vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 184-197. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/re.volsu.2026.2.16

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