"Roadside People": a resource project of "new development" as a mechanism for socio-spatial transformation of the periphery

Drawing on the concepts of mobility, multilocality, and the related notion of shift work as a way of life, this article examines the impact of a large-scale resource extraction project associated with the "new development" of the northern periphery of the Baikal region. The study aims to assess whether shift migration, understood as a key mechanism of this new development model, contributes to transformations in social and spatial mobility within the area affected by a major resource project. Based on qualitative field research conducted in the northern Baikal region, the findings demonstrate that the project reshapes the spatial and economic organization of local communities not only within zones of direct resource extraction but also across a wider area through transport infrastructure. By engaging with theories of mobility, multilocality, and shift work as a specific mode of living, the article substantiates the argument that the resource project drives rapid changes in settlement patterns and the social organization of local communities, while simultaneously expanding local mobility potential. From a broader perspective, these transformations reflect the growing importance of social mobility under the influence of contemporary models of resource-led development in northern peripheral regions.