Unknown Belarus. Development of small towns in the XXI Century

In the course of 20 expeditions experts have accumulated vast material on a variety of issues and aspects of life in small towns. This material is deliberately kept in the form of observations, experiences, impressions, notes, etc., but do not execute with the help of ready theories or explanations. In Belarus there is lack on the knowledge about the life in small towns, as well as the conceptual and theoretical apparatus itself is extremely weak and not adequate to the challenges of urban development. The conference became the place and the form for synthesis and processing of the received material, an attempt to develop and to design the necessary language and analysis tools.

In addition to members of the expeditions a seminar-conference was attended by representatives from the various areas involved in research and development of various sides of urban life: the history of urban civilization in the world and in Belarus (Professor, Doctor of historical sciences Z. Shibeko), organization and enforcement authorities ( A. Zawadzki, Foundation. Sapegi L.), town planning and urban architecture (D. Saveliev, the Union of Young Architects), communication and mass communication (A. Alexandrov, Belarusian Association of Journalists), etc. These actors and their performances helped to define the broader context for discussion of materials that were collected in the course of the field trips.

The work of the seminar was organized around several topics:

 - Management and self-governance,

- Lifestyle,

- Publicity and sales activity of citizens,

- Communication and interaction,

- Consumption,

- Construction of the urban environment.

Each of them has been the subject of a separate section presenting two reports and followed by discussions.

Among the most interesting, intensive and content-rich, there were several discussions. First, the sharp debate about free time of the residents of small towns. In the analysis of recreational and leisure infrastructure available to small towns (Yuri Galinovskaya), turned the discussion on the content of the category «free time» and the impact of this content on organizing life in a town. Free time is not only the time employed for all sorts of forms of entertainment it is as well free time for reflection and thinking, creating the possibility of urban life. The lifestyle in small towns, reproducing the Soviet idea of a man, his recreational activities and forms of organization of leisure time, virtually negated even the possibility of the emergence of free time.

The issue of communications between townspeople has also become one of the most profound and interesting. In particular, a system of ‘filters’ was discussed (O. Shelest) with regard to the circulation of information among citizens, which is actually completely blocks the ability of normal interaction, and processes of resolving issues on the urban scale.

Another interesting aspect of urban life has been raised in the analysis of the structure and capabilities of small towns. The opposing models of «pre-emptive» and «retarded» development proposed by D. Galinovsky raised a discussion of who in contemporary small towns might be a subject of such models. As part of pre-emptive model not only improved the standard of living of citizens, but also created opportunities for the realization of a greater range of lifestyles. At the same time willingness and ability to work in this model (other than financial capacity investment funds) is linked with a certain level and extent of thinking about the town and about oneself as an entity of its development.

A vivid discussion concerned the urban environment and urban space (V. Matskevich, D. Saveliev). The appearances of small towns are often speaking for themselves about heir lifestyles, as the town sees itself and what opportunities and prospects have their residents. Issues of aesthetics of urban space became very relevant recently however they have little correlation with a significant problem of a liaising organization of space and way of life, which such organization is asking for.

In addition to describing and analyzing the empirical material, along with attempts to systematize it, the topic related to the subject of the development of small towns and more widely, a subject of the development of the situation in Belarus was constantly raised. The issue of this subject has been far from idle in relation to the negotiation outcome of the expeditions, because it sets the approaches and ways of working with the data obtained. The program of cultural policies presented by V. Matskevich offers an answer that is hardly understood, much less adopted by both «theorists» and «practitioners» of the Belarusian society. It is based on activity against the intellectual community to the developments in the country and localized, such as, in small towns. This attitude implies self-determination of them as agents of development programs and that assume responsibility for existing or missing changes. This approach is fundamentally contrary to traditional notions, which for twenty years has not yet led to the positive results.

And this is only a part of all the themes and issues that were discussed. Concluding discussions have identified several new promising approaches to understanding of the life in small towns, as well as the formulation of problems and, consequently, the search for solutions. The conference can be regarded as a launching point into comprehension of the life of small towns. Another step in this direction will be a publication of a book, which is planned to be issued by the Humanitarian Technology Agency and the Centre for Social Innovation. It will include the seminar materials, along with the reports on each of the visited towns.

T. Vodolazhskaya

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