Social and ecological problems of a small town with a developed mining industry

The article presents the results of a study of the social and environmental problems of a small town with a developed mining industry. The authors have tested the methodology for assessing social and ecological tension for the city of Sibay in the Republic of Bashkortostan based on the approaches by I.A. Sosunov for the regions of Russia. The key indicators of the analysis were the data of official information on the socio-economic and ecological state, a sociological survey and a comprehensive assessment of the state of the environment. As a result, the index of social and ecological tension of the city was calculated in the context of settlements: Gorny (3.7) - Yuzhny (3.2) - city center (2.7) -Zoloto (2.6) - Vostochny (2.4) - Dom Rybaka (2.3) - Arkaim (1.6). The use of the category of social and environmental tension in the proposed interpretation allows for a comprehensive analysis of the urbanized territories of the mining region, which determine its environmental safety and sustainable development, their ranking, and also development of a set of economically justified measures to be included in the programs of the strategic development of the region.