Суспільно-географічний аналіз розселенських диспропорцій у Чернівецькому районі Чернівецької області внаслідок реформи адміністративно-територіального управління

Abstract

Статтю присвячено аналізу демографічних та просторових диспропорцій у Чернівецькому районі після адміністративно-територіальної реформи. Використано статистичний аналіз та ГІС-методи для порівняння динаміки населення і картографування розселення. Показано нерівномірний розподіл: міста мають вищу густину населення, сільські громади зазнали депопуляції. Загалом чисельність населення району суттєво зменшилася, відображаючи загальну тенденцію області.

The article analyzes demographic processes and spatial disparities in Chernivtsi district after administrativeterritorial reform. Spatial inequality is a critical issue in Ukraine, and the ATU reform intensified regional development challenges. Consolidation of territorial units concentrates population in administrative centers, exacerbating disparities between urban and rural settlements. The administrative-territorial reform of 2020 significantly affected the settlement system in Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. This study addresses the relevance of analyzing the spatial organization of settlement in the newly formed Chernivtsi district, given that the enlargement of districts and creation of united territorial communities alter the balance between urban centers and rural peripheries and may exacerbate demographic disproportions. The purpose of the article is to conduct a socio-geographical analysis of the spatialdemographic characteristics of the settlement system of Chernivtsi district under the conditions of the administrativeterritorial reform. The study aims to identify the main trends of transformation and the differences between communities in terms of population size and density, as well as the density of the settlement network. The research methods include analysis of statistical data on community populations over 1979–2021, calculation of population growth rates, comparative geographical analysis of population density and settlement density, and cartographic visualization of territorial disparities. The results show that the population of the district is distributed very unevenly: over half of the inhabitants are concentrated in the central part (the city of Chernivtsi and adjacent communities), whereas a number of peripheral rural communities have low population density and are experiencing depopulation. The highest population increase during 1979–2021 is observed in certain suburban and southern communities (up to +39%), while roughly half of the communities exhibit population decline (up to –32%). It was found that the decentralization reform did not eliminate the existing disparities but rather reinforced them: strong urban centers continue to grow, whereas remote rural communities require additional support. The findings are applicable for balanced regional development planning at the sub-regional level, such as optimizing the network of educational and healthcare facilities and improving transportation accessibility for peripheral settlements. These insights are important for developing effective regional development strategies and addressing demographic disparities at the community level.