Agglomeration urban - this The largest urban agglomeration

The face of the world is rapidly changing: villages and towns give way to cities, the latter, in turn, merge into a single whole and become agglomerations. This is a demographic and economic process that is developing systematically and in stages, it cannot be stopped. Progress itself dictates to mankind the conditions for its greatest acceleration. The entire twentieth century is a period of mass industrialization. The result was the development of industries of various directions and the associated growth of the urban population, which provides any industrial enterprise with the main resource - workers.

Appearance story

Agglomeration urban is a process of expansion of the territory of a settlement due to its development and absorption of adjacent settlements. Urbanization passed quite rapidly, over 80-95 years. If we compare the census data at the beginning and end of the twentieth century, they clearly show the ratio of rural and urban population. In percentage terms, this is as follows: in 1903, 13% were residents of cities, by 1995 this figure was 50%. The trend has continued to this day, but the first major urban agglomerations appeared in the ancient world. An example is Athens, Alexandria, and, of course, the great Rome. Much later, in the XVII century, the first agglomerations arose on the territory of Europe - these were Paris and London, which occupied a significant area on the British Isles. In the 19th century, the formation of large urban settlements began in North America. The term "agglomeration" itself was first introduced by the geographer Frenchman M. Rouget. According to his definition, urban agglomeration is the exit of non-agricultural activities beyond the administrative framework of a settlement and the involvement of surrounding settlements in it. The definitions that exist today are quite diverse in presentation, but the generalizing principle is the process of expansion, growth of the city. Moreover, many criteria are taken into account.

Definition

N.V. Petrov characterizes the agglomeration as an accumulation of cities and other settlements according to the territorial principle, while in the process of development they grow together, all kinds of relationships (labor, cultural, economic, etc.) are strengthened. At the same time, clusters should be compact and have clear administrative boundaries - both internal and external. Pertsik E.N. gives a slightly different definition: urban agglomeration is a special form of urbanization, which involves the accumulation of geographically close settlements that are economically interconnected and have a common transport network, engineering infrastructure, industrial and cultural relations, a common social and technical base. In his works, he emphasizes that this type of association is the most productive environment for scientific and technical activities, the development of advanced technologies and industries. Accordingly, it is here that the most skilled workers are grouped, for the convenience of which the service sector is developing and conditions are created for a good rest. The largest cities and urban agglomerations have mobile territorial boundaries, this applies not only to the actual location of individual points, but also to the time periods spent on moving a person or cargo from the core to the periphery.

Agglomeration criteria

Among modern cities, many are quite developed, with a population of over 2-3 million people. To determine how much this locality can be attributed to the category of agglomeration, it is possible using certain assessment criteria. However, even here the opinions of analysts diverge: some suggest focusing on a group of factors, others need only one sign, which is clearly expressed and documented. The main indicators according to which cities can be attributed to agglomeration:

1. The population density per 1 m ².

2. Number (from 100 thousand people, the upper limit is unlimited).

3. The building speed and its continuity (no more than 20 km between the main city and its satellites).

4. The number of absorbed settlements (satellites).

5. The intensity of trips for various purposes between the core and the periphery (to work, study or for leisure, the so-called pendulum migration).

6. The presence of a single infrastructure (utilities, communications).

7. General logistics network.

8. The proportion of the population engaged in non-agricultural work.

Types of metropolitan areas

With all the diversity of the interaction structure and the conditions for the coexistence of cities and their satellites, there is a concise system for determining the type of settlement. There are two main types: monocentric and polycentric agglomerations. The largest number of existing and emerging mergers are assigned to the first category. Monocyclic agglomerations are formed according to the principle of dominance of one main city. There is a core, which, with growth, includes other settlements in its territory and forms the direction of their further development in symbiosis with its potential capabilities. The largest urban agglomerations (the vast majority) were created precisely by the monotype. An example is Moscow or New York. Polycentric agglomerations are more likely an exception, they unite several cities, each of which is an independent kernel and absorbs nearby settlements. For example, in Germany it is the Ruhr basin, completely built up by large entities, each of which has several satellites, while they are independent of each other and are combined into one whole only on a territorial basis.

Structure

The largest urban agglomerations of the world were formed in cities whose history spans from 100 to 1000 years. This happened historically, any production complexes, retail chains, cultural centers are easier to improve than to create new ones from scratch. The only exceptions are American cities, which were originally planned as agglomerations for higher economic development.

So, we make brief conclusions. Urban agglomeration is a structured settlement, which (approximately, there are no clear borders) can be divided into the following sections:

1. The city center, its historical part, which represents the cultural heritage of this region. Its attendance has the largest peak in the daytime, often there are restrictions on the entry of personal vehicles into this territory.

2. The ring surrounding the central part, the business center. This area is built up very densely with office buildings, in addition, there is an extensive system of catering facilities (restaurants, bars, cafes), the service sector is also represented quite widely (beauty salons, gyms and gyms, fashionable ateliers, etc.). There is a well-developed trading network, especially expensive shops with exclusive goods, there are administrative state institutions.

3. Residential area, which refers to the old buildings. In the process of agglomeration, it often turns into business districts. This is due to the high cost of land under residential buildings. Due to the constant demand for it, buildings that do not belong to monuments of architecture or history are demolished or modernized for office and other premises.

4. Multi-storey mass development. Remote (sleeping) areas, industrial and industrial areas. This sector has, as a rule, a large social orientation (schools, large retail outlets, clinics, libraries, etc.).

5. Suburban territories, parks, squares, satellite villages. Depending on the size of the agglomeration, this territory is developing and settling in.

Stages of development

All urban agglomerations of the world go through the main processes of formation. Many settlements stop in their development (at some stage), some are just starting their way to a highly developed and comfortable structure for people to live. It is customary to separate the following steps:

1. Industrial agglomeration. The connection between the core and the periphery is based on a production factor. Labor resources are tied to a specific enterprise; there is no common real estate and land market.

2. Transformational stage. It is characterized by an increase in the level of pendulum migration; accordingly, a common labor market is formed, the center of which is a large city. The core of the agglomeration begins to actively form the services and leisure sector.

3. Dynamic agglomeration. This stage provides for the modernization and transfer of production facilities to peripheral areas. In parallel, the logistics system is developing, which allows for faster merging of the core and satellite cities. Unified labor and real estate markets are appearing, and a common infrastructure is being built.

4. Post-industrial agglomeration. The final stage, which is characterized by the end of all interaction processes. Existing connections (core-periphery) are being strengthened and expanded. Work begins on raising the status of the agglomeration to attract more resources and expand areas of activity.

Features of Russian agglomerations

To increase the rate of economic growth and the development of high-tech production, our country must have clearly formulated and calculated plans for the near and long term. Historically, a situation has arisen in which the urban agglomerations of Russia were built exclusively according to the industrial type. With a planned economy, this was enough, but with a forced transition to the transformation stage (the formation of a market economy), a number of problems arose that had to be eliminated during the 90s. Further development of urban agglomerations requires centralized state intervention. That is why this topic is often discussed by experts and the highest bodies of state power. It is necessary to fully restore, modernize and relocate production bases, which will entail dynamic agglomeration processes. Without the participation of the state as a funding and managing body, this stage is inaccessible to many cities. The economic advantages of functioning agglomerations are undeniable, therefore, there is a process of stimulating associations of geographically connected cities and settlements. The largest urban agglomeration of the world can be created in Russia in the near future. For this, there are all the necessary resources, it remains to correctly use the main one - administrative.

The largest urban agglomerations in Russia

In fact, today there is no clear statistics. According to the criteria for assessing agglomerations in the Russian Federation, 22 of the largest, which are stably developing, can be distinguished. In our country, the monocentric type of formation prevails. In most cases, urban agglomerations of Russia are at the industrial stage of development, but their provision with human resources is sufficient for further growth. According to the number and stage of formation, they are located in the following sequence (first 10):

1. Moscow.

2. St. Petersburg.

3. Rostov.

4. Samara-Togliatti.

5. Nizhny Novgorod.

6. Novosibirsk.

7. Ekaterinburg.

8. Kazan.

9. Chelyabinsk.

10. Volgograd.

The number of urban agglomerations in the Russian Federation is growing due to the creation of new associations that do not necessarily include cities with a population of one million or more: the merger is due to a resource indicator or industrial interests.

World Agglomerations

Amazing figures and facts can be obtained by studying this topic. Some world agglomerations have areas and populations comparable to those of an entire country. The total number of such entities is difficult to calculate, because each expert uses a certain (selected by him) group of features or one of them. But when considering the dozens of the largest, you can rely on the unanimity of specialists. So:

1. The largest urban agglomeration in the world is Tokyo-Yokohama. The population is 37.5 million people (Japan).

2. Jakarta (Indonesia).

3. Delhi (India).

4. Seoul Incheon (Republic of Korea).

5. Manila (Philippines).

6. Shanghai (PRC).

7. Karachi (Pakistan).

8. New York, USA).

9. Mexico City (Mexico).

10. Sao Paulo (Brazil).