APPROACHES TO THE DELIMITATION OF CENTRAL ZONES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT IN RUSSIAN MILLION-PLUS CITIES

Abstract

As urban lifestyle has become predominant, a significant number of studies are currently focused on cities, particularly their development and spatial organization. The evolution of urban systems depends on the proper definition of a city's functions and the delineation of urban zones (especially of the large city center) according to these functions. Establishing intra-city boundaries and zoning urban territories is a crucial task, the importance of which is increasing due to the growing focus on improving the quality of the urban environment. The article examines a methodology for delimiting large centers of million-plus cities that has been developed using geoinformation technologies. The paper provides a formalized assessment of the optimality of the central zone boundaries in the Ural and Siberian million-plus cities of Russia, previously drawn based on an expert approach. The assessment has generally confirmed the results of the expert tracing of the central zone boundaries in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, and Omsk. The article proposes options for adjusting certain sections of the large center boundaries in Perm, Ufa, and Krasnoyarsk. Areas adjacent to the large city center should be key locations for the concentration of urban identity markers as such markers enhance the attractiveness of the urban environment. The cities under consideration possess certain unique features of urban identity due to the active participation of local civil society groups in the development of the urban environment. The initiatives of such groups should be assessed and supported by local authorities.