Monotown

A study on the single industry towns particular to Russia, established during the Soviet Union in uninhabited parts of the Siberian hinterland, and examining the challenges faced by those towns' populations, both historically and today.

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Monotown: Urban Dreams Brutal Imperatives examines the post-industrial transformation and transnational legacy of single industry towns, which emerged as a distinctive socio-political project of urbanisation in the Soviet Union during the 1920s. Monotowns took form through the establishment of industrial enterprises strewn across remote parts of the Siberian hinterland, around which cities had to be built to provide labour. This model entailed the relocation of vast populations which would require services, housing, and social and physical infrastructure, all linked to a given industrial enterprise. By examining the ways in which monotowns have adapted over time in this expanded field, this book establishes a broader yet more specific dialogue about the challenges faced by towns within this particular single-industry etymology.