УДК 908

EDN YAKEYQ

 

Original article

 

The Organization of the Urban Space of Penza in the 1940s — 1980s as a Factor in the Formation of Regional Identity

Gushchin A. A., Yagov O. V.

 

Abstract

Introduction. The study of the formation of regional identity is one of the most relevant areas of modern historiography. The mental image of the living space of a local community is inextricably linked with the organization, design and use of urban space. In addition, it is one of the factors in the formation of regional identity and territorial integration. The purpose of the study is to analyze the policy of local authorities on the organization of urban space in Penza in the 1940s — 1980s its influence on the formation of the mental image of living space among the population.

The materials and methods. The research is based on the use of archival sources, periodical materials, memoirs of contemporaries, as well as the results of the survey. The research is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency. In addition to general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization), the analysis of materials was carried out using the historical-system method.

Results and discussion. The question of the connection of the concept of “Small homeland” with the territorial perception and organization of space is analyzed. The main factors influencing the deve­lopment of the urban space of Penza in the 1940s — 1980s are considered. The main principles and directions of the policy of local authorities on the organization and design of urban space, as well as the impact of this policy on the formation of the image of the regional center and the region are revealed.

Conclusion. The organization and design of the urban space of Penza in the 1940s — 1980s was an important direction of the policy of local authorities. This issue was solved comprehensively, while even small details were given great importance. This was due to the fact that the issue of organization, design and use of urban space played an ideological and educational role. An important factor was the rapid growth of the city’s territory and an increase in the number of residents. The successes in creating a peculiar appearance of the city, landscaping were reflected in the perception of the population of their city and region.

Keywords: Penza region, Penza, regional identity, regional policy, territorial integration, improvement, urban space, urban environment

Funding: The research was carried out at the expense of the grant of the Russian Science Foundation № 22-18-20015, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-20015/

For citation: Gushchin AA, Yagov OV. The Organization of the Urban Space of Penza in the 1940s — 1980s as a Factor in the Formation of Regional Identity. Bulletin of the Research Institute of Humanities by the Government of the Republic of Mordovia. 2023;15(4):96—106. EDN YAKEYQ

 

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The article was submitted 19.07.2023; approved after reviewing 01.09.2023; accepted for publication 08.09.2023.

 

Information about the authors:

Alexander A. Gushchin, Director of the Center for the Study of the History of the Penza Region of the Institute of Regional Development of the Penza Region (40 Popova Str., Penza 440046, Russia), Candidate of Historical Sciences, Alone-87@yandex.ru

Oleg V. Yagov, Professor of Department of History of Russia and Methods of Teaching History of Penza State University (37 Lermontova Str., Penza 440026, Russia), Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Researcher ID: S-4141-2016, ORCID: https://orcid.org//0000-0003-2053-2533, yago-vdom@mail.ru

 

Contribution of the authors:

Gushchin A. A. — concept development, methodology development, material collection and analysis, text writing;

Yagov O. V. — organization of the survey and analysis of the results.

 

Conflict of interests: the authors declare no conflict of interests.

 

The authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.