Fractal properties of settlement system as factor of its sustainability: Ural in the 18th-20th centuries

Abstract

The thoughts by N. Salingaros on sustainable design, translated and introduced into scientific discourse by the author of the paper, served as a basis for primary analysis of the layout of a small industrial town and the settlement system of the industrial part of the Urals. Invariable features of the town layout have been reconstructed based on the materials by W. de Gennin and modern historical and cultural studies. The paper shows the elements of fractality and self-similarity in the layout of small industrial towns and in the Ural settlement system, which correspond to the parameters established by N. Salingaros. A conclusion is made about sustainability as an additional internal resource of the settlement system in the region. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.