Sanitary and Ecological State of the Urban Barnaul Environment in the Late 19th Century: An Attempt at Using GIS

This article examines the peculiarities of the sanitary and ecological state of the urban environment. It does so based on the development and analysis of a geoinformation system reflecting the topography of Barnaul’s infrastructure facilities within the boundaries of the districts provided for in the 1895 one-day census. The authors focus on evaluating the environmental impact of industrial facilities. The sources of the study are mass data (statistical data from the 1895 one-day census), cartographic data (historical maps and plans of Barnaul), and “auxiliary” sources (a list of urban infrastructure facilities). The main tools used in the study are information technologies (database technologies, geographic information systems). It is established that each of the seven census districts of Barnaul had its own set of factors that together determined the sanitary and environmental condition of the territories. The article concerns the following factors: number of floors (including the presence of residential basements), building materials, quality of living conditions (presence of apartments with signs of dampness), social status of the population (class, education), geography of industrial enterprises, natural and geographical features of the area, and features of the historical development of inner-city areas. The work demonstrates the similarities and differences in the sanitary and ecological condition of different areas of Barnaul. An assessment of the impact of industrial facilities on the environment shows that enterprises were located both in the suburban area (soda, brewery and other factories, brick production) and within residential neighbourhoods. The areas identified here as having a negative impact on the first, third and fourth districts of the city were associated with both small-scale production (soap, fur coats, etc.) and the presence of the Barnaul silver smelting plant (since 1897, a sawmill) and the pond next to it.