Cities and urban agglomerations. Largest urban agglomerations

Everything in this world has the ability to change. Moreover, sometimes these changes occur very quickly. Just a century ago, most of the world's inhabitants lived in villages. Today cities are becoming locomotives scientific and technological progress, centers of economic, political and cultural life. Cities increase in size, grow and eventually merge with each other, forming large agglomerations.

The meaning of the word "agglomeration"

This term is currently used in three scientific disciplines- biology, geology and urbanism. However, it is believed that it originally appeared in the bosom of geological science.

In geological science, agglomeration is the thermal treatment of ore and ore concentrate.

Later this term migrated to social geography, urban studies and demography. Here, by analogy, agglomeration is the merging of urban settlements into a single whole. In the second half of the twentieth century, urbanists began to actively use this word to refer to general global trends provoked by processes of global urbanization.

Urban agglomeration

Cities are expanding, acquiring new factories and enterprises, attracting everyone more new residents. As a result, more and more residential areas and sleeping areas are being built on the outskirts... Unnoticed by itself and its residents, the city begins to “absorb” the once independent villages and towns located nearby. This is how the process of connection is born.

An agglomeration is a compact merger of several cities, which from now on become a single whole, one organic system with its own internal stable connections.

To more vividly imagine what agglomeration is, imagine that you are flying high into the sky on a clear, cloudless night. Looking down you will see earth's surface, in some parts of it, there are dense and bright clumps of light, indicating places of compact urban development. It is by these spots of light that the largest urban agglomerations can be identified.

All agglomerations are divided into two types:

• monocentric (those that formed around one large nucleus);
• polycentric (formed from several centers).

Historical aspect

The process of formation of urban agglomerations is very interesting and sometimes unexpected. For example, the city of Vasylkiv, founded in 988, was once an equally important city Kievan Rus, like Kyiv. Today it is just part of the large Kyiv agglomeration.

The very first agglomerations, oddly enough, appeared in ancient world. These were Rome, Alexandria and Athens. In the 17th century, London and Paris joined the ranks of urban agglomerations. True, these were tiny (by modern standards) agglomerations, numbering only 700 thousand inhabitants.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, blocks of buildings stretching for many kilometers into the distance seemed completely wild. Today this is perceived very prosaically. Moreover, children from large cities may not see a forest, a wide field or an ordinary village for years. All this is the reality of our century.

By 1970, there were already 16 large agglomerations, in which about 40% of the country's population was concentrated. However, agglomerations continue to grow today! And if individual cities used to merge with each other, today entire urban agglomerations are merging. Scientists have even come up with a name for this phenomenon - conurbation.

Formation of Russian agglomerations

All Russian agglomerations are the creations of the 20th century. Previously, there were simply no conditions for their formation. The only exception here can be considered only St. Petersburg, the agglomeration of which began to form somewhat earlier.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, during the era of the industrial boom, near major cities Plants and factories began to appear in Russia. The settlements that naturally appeared nearby became the basis for future satellite cities. Thus, already at the beginning of the twentieth century, Mytishchi, Lyubertsy, Kuskovo, Orekhovo-Zuyevo and others were “born” around Moscow.

The largest agglomerations in Russia

According to modern Russian standards, an agglomeration is a group of settlements with a population in its central city(core) at least 100 thousand inhabitants. At the same time, at a distance of 1.5 hours transport accessibility there must be at least two more cities or towns away from it.

Monocentric agglomerations with one central core city dominate in Russia. Such a center, as a rule, far exceeds its surroundings both in size and level economic development. Russian agglomerations are not alien to global characteristics and trends: high population density, high degree industrialization, as well as an abundance of scientific and educational complexes.

Today in Russia there are 22 millionaire agglomerations (that is, more than one million people live in each of them). The largest Russian agglomeration, it goes without saying, is Moscow with a population of about 16 million people. It is followed by St. Petersburg (approximately 5.5 million), Rostov (about 2.5 million), Samara-Togliatti (2.3 million), Ekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod (2 million inhabitants in each agglomeration).

The specifics of the definition of the concept “city” depend, of course, on the position from which the problem is viewed. In the very general view a city is a large populated area, the vast majority of whose residents are employed outside agriculture: in industry, trade, service sector, science, culture.

The following can be distinguished characteristic features modern cities:

• economic - employment of the population outside agriculture;
• ekistic - the concentration of a significant population in a relatively small area and, therefore, high density population (up to several tens of thousands of inhabitants per 1 km2 of city territory);
• demographic - the formation of specific urban characteristics and its structure;
• architectural - the formation of a characteristic urban architectural and planning environment;
• sociological - the formation of an urban lifestyle;
• legal - cities, as a rule, - administrative centers adjacent territory.

The degree of favorable development of a city in one direction or another is determined by it.

Sociologists suggest looking for specific features of a city in the structure of its “ social space", "in an urban lifestyle", which is primarily expressed in a higher degree of mobility of urban residents and in an increase in the number of contacts between them, considered as a measure of potential human interactions.

In the literature you can find the following characteristics urban lifestyle: increased population mobility; freedom to choose your environment, as well as the ability to easily isolate yourself from it; settled working hours and the ability to plan free time; family disintegration; decrease average size families and households.

In the system of geographical division of labor, each city is, first of all, a place of complex concentration of functions involved in this division of labor. This leads to the economic definition of a city as a place of complex concentration of socio-economic functions.

From the perspective of population studies, a city is a place of life (in a broad sense) of concentrated masses of the population, distinguished by specific socio-demographic characteristics and factors of population development.

In our opinion, the most correct economic structure and functional profile of cities can be quantitatively characterized by identifying the city-forming contingent of the city’s workers, i.e. that part of the workers who are employed in the city-forming sectors of the city’s economy, in enterprises and institutions of significance beyond the scope of this paragraph (industry, external, warehouses and bases of procurement and supply organizations, administrative institutions, research institutes and educational institutions, construction organizations, rural, other non-urban institutions).

Currently, the concept of “city” is undergoing significant transformation. Being a form of settlement of people in a territory, the city has long been associated in our minds not only with the place where non-agricultural activities are concentrated (industry, trade, transport, etc.), but also with the place where the population accumulates, housing is concentrated, and roads intersect. The concept of “city” is inextricably linked with the idea of ​​some kind of center - functional, populated, residential. It may be noted that the execution various functions Such a center is no less typical of cities than their industrial role. In this sense, cities as centers have long been in focus. territorial structure settlements, but at the same time remained only separate, albeit focal points on the map. The essence of the new modifications introduced into the development of cities is that the city as a point form of settlement is being replaced by urban agglomerations.
Production, labor, cultural ties between the city and its surroundings at a certain, sufficiently high level of development of productive forces become so close that neither the city nor the adjacent settlements can exist without each other. This process of merging and merging is happening so quickly and intensively that some scientists propose replacing the concept of “city” as outdated.

Cities carry a variety of economic and superstructural functions, the content of which in different historical eras changed significantly. In this regard, the very concept of “city” has changed historically. In city definitions late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century. preference was given to trade, while industry was given a lesser role.

IN pre-revolutionary Russia the definition of a city corresponded to the administrative-territorial and class structure Russian Empire. The name “city” initially meant a fortified settlement, a fenced place, and the territory of the city was limited to the boundaries of the fortress. Gradually, the city “overgrows” with a population living outside its borders, but in close proximity to the walls of the fortress. Over time, these villages turn into parts of the city (in Russia these are “suburbs” or “posads” with a craft and trade population). Moreover, the term “city” itself takes on two meanings: a city as a fortress and a city as a populated place, i.e. a fortress with the surrounding suburbs.

Until the beginning of the 20th century. the term “agglomeration” was used to define territorial clusters of industrial enterprises, and A. Weber (1903) introduced it to designate the process of large concentration of population in cities. As large cities grew and more and more urban and rural settlements, this term began to be used to designate new territorial entities. The main features of such formations:

• close economic ties for the combination and cooperation of industrial enterprises between the production and consumption of industrial and products (indicators of the closeness of these ties are significantly more powerful cargo flows within the agglomeration compared to external cargo flows);
• labor (some of the workers in enterprises and institutions of one settlement live in other settlements, i.e. within the agglomeration there is an interconnectedness and daily pendulum between the main city and the settlements of the suburban zone, as well as between these settlements);
• cultural, everyday and recreational (institutions or recreational places of one or more settlements partially serve residents of other settlements, daily or weekly pendulum migrations occur for cultural, everyday or purposes);
• close administrative-political and organizational-economic (causing daily business trips between the settlements of the agglomeration - on matters of production, service and public work).

All mentioned characteristic features determine the specifics of the development of the agglomeration as a diversified, multifunctional center of national importance with specialization in the most progressive industries national economy. Thus, agglomeration should be considered simultaneously as a subsystem common system production location and as a subsystem of the country's overall settlement system.

The economic prerequisite for the rapid development of agglomerations is the advantages inherent in this form of production location and settlement, namely: a high degree of concentration and diversification of production, which determines its maximum efficiency; concentration of qualified personnel, close connection production with science and training centers; maximum efficient use production and social systems.

There is also a form of settlement in which the role of “leader” is played not by one, but by two or a group of cities; Some authors use the term “conurbation” in this case. Other authors use the terms “agglomeration” and “conurbation” as equivalent. The difference lies in the fact that agglomeration took shape when a large city “annexed” the surrounding territories, and conurbation occurred when several often equivalent ones merged. economically and according to the population of cities. In the case of such an understanding, gender and centric, highly developed systems of urban settlements should be considered conurbations. But usually such systems are transformed into monocentric (with one center), in which case the distinction between conurbation and agglomeration is erased.

The stages of population dynamics in agglomerations are as follows:

• the population of the core increases, and the outer (suburban) zone decreases due to migration to the core; in general, the population of the agglomeration is growing;
• the core grows strongly, the outer zone also grows, strong concentration throughout the agglomeration;
• the core continues to grow and the highest concentration is in the suburban area, the agglomeration continues to grow;
• the population of the core begins to decline, but in the suburban area it increases, the agglomeration as a whole is growing;
• the population of the core is declining, growth continues in the suburban zone, but the population in the agglomeration is decreasing (this stage is now typical for a number of);
• both the population of the core and its population in the outer zone are decreasing, the population of the agglomeration is decreasing.

URBAN AGGLOMERATION (from the Latin aggloméra - to annex, accumulate, pile up), a compact territorial grouping of settlements (mainly urban), united by diverse and intensive connections (economic, labor, cultural, everyday, recreational, etc.). An urban agglomeration as an integral territorial socio-economic entity arises on the basis of functional and spatial development a large core city (or several core cities). Settlements are formed around a large city different types(suburbs, satellite cities, etc.), serving as its production, transport, recreational, utility and other additions. The spatial proximity and complementarity of settlements in an urban agglomeration contribute to the creation of favorable conditions for the development of various fields of activity in them.

There are: monocentric urban agglomerations with one core city, which is the focus of the development and functioning of surrounding settlements located in its suburban or so-called external, peripheral zone (for example, the largest urban agglomerations in Russia - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and etc.); polycentric urban agglomerations, having as cores several large city centers located relatively close to each other [for example, the Lower Rhine-Ruhr agglomeration in Germany, its main centers are the actually merged cities of Duisburg, Essen, Bochum and Dortmund (the so-called Ruhrstadt) , as well as Cologne, Dusseldorf and Bonn; see Conurbation]. In large urban agglomerations, local settlement nests are often formed - agglomerations of the 2nd order (for example, Noginsko-Elektrostalskaya, Orekhovo-Zuevskaya, Kolomenskaya, Serpukhovskaya and other agglomerations surrounded by the Moscow metropolis). In places with the most favorable conditions for territorial concentration various types activities and population, expanding urban agglomerations are uniting into megalopolises. These include: a chain of agglomerations on the Atlantic coast of the United States, stretching from Boston to Washington (Boswash), the Pacific coast of California - from San Francisco to San Diego (San-San); Japan - from Tokyo to Osaka (Tokaido), etc.

An urban agglomeration, as an area of ​​interconnected settlement, usually closes within itself the weekly life cycle of the population. The external boundaries of an urban agglomeration, as a rule, are determined by 1.5-2.0 hours of time required to reach the city center; as communications improve and vehicles The boundaries of the urban agglomeration are expanding.

The formation of an urban agglomeration contributes to more full use potential of large cities, while at the same time being effective means solutions to their problems. The disorderly growth of urban agglomeration leads to negative consequences(on a larger scale and more acutely reproducing the shortcomings big cities): excessive crowding of the population and concentration of spheres economic activity in a limited area, a sharp aggravation of environmental and transport problems, acute shortage of water resources, etc. Improvement spatial organization urban agglomeration on a planned basis - important task public policy in the field of urban planning.

In most countries of the world in the 20th century (especially in the 2nd half of the 20th century), urban agglomerations became the most important links in the territorial organization of the economy, powerful nodes in the supporting framework of settlement. In highly developed countries, the growth of urban agglomerations occurs as a result of the “unloading” of core cities from the areas of economic activity that have grown excessively in them due to the expansion of their suburban areas - the development of suburbanization processes (see the article Urbanization); The population of suburban areas usually exceeds the population of city centers.

In Russia, the development of urban agglomerations occurs mainly by attracting people into the gravitational zone major centers new industrial and service facilities, as well as the population (including from other regions of the country). The practice of constant expansion of urban areas, that is, the absorption of suburban zones by core cities, obscures the real picture of the development of agglomeration processes in the country. On average, the share of suburbs and satellite cities in the population of Russian urban agglomerations is about 20% (mid-2000s), this figure has not changed since the early 1990s. In total, there are 53 large urban agglomerations in Russia (with a population of central cities at least 250 thousand people; 2002, census). They are home to 66.0 million people (45.5% of the country’s population), including 46.2 million people in agglomeration cities and 19.8 million people in suburban areas. During 1989-2002, the number of urban agglomerations did not increase, and their population decreased by 2.1% (city centers - by 1.1%, suburban areas - by 4.3%).

Lit.: Dubrovin P.I. Cities agglomerations (genesis, economics, morphology) // Questions of geography. M., 1959. Sat. 45; Lappo G. M. Development of urban agglomerations in the USSR. M., 1978; Problems of studying urban agglomerations. M., 1988; Animitsa E. G., Vlasova N. Yu. Urban studies. Ekaterinburg, 1998; Pertsik E. N. Cities of the world. Geography of world urbanization. M., 1999.

The face of the world is rapidly changing: villages and towns are giving way to cities, the latter, in turn, merging into a single whole and becoming agglomerations. This is a demographic and economic process that develops systematically and step by step, it cannot be stopped. Progress itself dictates to humanity the conditions for its greatest acceleration. The entire twentieth century is a period of mass industrialization. The result was the development of production different directions and the associated growth of urban population, which provides any industrial enterprise The main resource is workers.

History of appearance

Urban agglomeration is the process of expansion of the territory of a settlement due to its development and absorption of adjacent settlements. Urbanization took place quite rapidly, within 80-95 years. If we compare census data at the beginning and end of the twentieth century, they clearly show the ratio of the rural and urban population. IN percentage it looks like this: in 1903, 13% were urban residents; by 1995, this figure was 50%. The trend has continued to this day, but the first major urban agglomerations appeared in the ancient world. Examples include Athens, Alexandria and, of course, the great Rome. Much later, in the 17th century, the first agglomerations arose in Europe - these were Paris and London, which occupied a significant area in 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 French geographer M. Rouget. According to his definition, urban agglomeration is the extension of non-agricultural activities beyond the administrative boundaries of the settlement and the involvement of surrounding settlements in it. The definitions that exist today are quite diverse in their presentation, but the general principle is the process of expansion and growth of the city. In this case, many criteria are taken into account.

Definition

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

Criteria for determining agglomeration

Among modern cities, many are quite developed, with a population of over 2-3 million people. You can determine to what extent a given settlement can be classified as an agglomeration using certain criteria assessments. However, even here the opinions of analysts differ: some suggest focusing on a group of factors, while for others it is enough to have one attribute that is clearly expressed and documented. The main indicators according to which cities can be classified as agglomerations:

1. per 1 m 2.
2. Number (from 100 thousand people, upper limit unlimited).
3. The speed of development and its continuity (no more than 20 km between the main city and its satellites).
4. 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. Availability of a unified infrastructure ( engineering communications, connection).
7. Shared logistics network.
8. Proportion of the population engaged in non-agricultural work.

Types of urban agglomerations

With all the diversity in the structure of interaction and conditions for the coexistence of cities and their satellites, there is a laconic system for determining the type of settlement. There are two main types: monocentric and polycentric agglomerations. Largest quantity existing and emerging mergers are classified in the first category. Monocyclic agglomerations are formed according to the principle of dominance of one main city. There is a core that, as it grows, includes other settlements within its territory and shapes the direction of their further development in symbiosis with its potential. The largest urban agglomerations (the vast majority) are created precisely according to the monotype. An example would be Moscow or New York. Polycentric agglomerations are rather an exception; they unite several cities, each of which is an independent core and absorbs nearby settlements. For example, in Germany it is completely built up by large entities, each of which has several satellites, while they do not depend on each other and are united into one whole only on a territorial basis.

Structure

The largest urban agglomerations in the world were formed in cities whose history dates back from 100 to 1000 years. This has developed historically, any production complexes, retail chains, cultural centers it's easier to improve than to create new ones empty space. The only exceptions are American cities, which were originally planned as agglomerations for higher rates of economic development.

So, let's make some brief conclusions. An urban agglomeration is a structured settlement, which (approximately, there are no clear boundaries) can be divided into the following areas:

1. City center, its historical part, which represents cultural heritage of this region. Its attendance peaks during the daytime; there are often restrictions on the entry of personal vehicles into this territory.
2. Ring surrounding central part, business center. This area is very densely built up with office buildings, in addition, there is an extensive system of catering establishments (restaurants, bars, cafes), the service sector is also represented quite widely (beauty salons, gyms and gyms, fashion studios, etc.). It is well developed here trading network, especially expensive stores with exclusive goods, administrative government agencies are present.
3. Residential area, which belongs to old buildings. In the process of agglomeration, it often turns into business related high cost land under residential buildings. Due to the constant demand for it, buildings that are not considered architectural or historical monuments are demolished or modernized for office and other premises.
4. Multi-storey mass development. Remote (dormitory) areas, industrial and industrial zones. This sector, as a rule, has a large social focus (schools, large retail outlets, clinics, libraries, etc.).
5. Suburban areas, parks, squares, satellite villages. Depending on the size of the agglomeration this territory develops and settles down.

Stages of development

All urban agglomerations in the world are undergoing basic formation processes. Many settlements stop in their development (at some stage), some are just beginning their path to a highly developed and comfortable structure for people to live in. It is customary to divide the following stages:

1. Industrial agglomeration. The connection between the core and the periphery is based on the production factor. tied to a specific enterprise, there is no common market for real estate and land.
2. Transformation stage. It is characterized by an increase in the level of commuting migration; accordingly, a common labor market is being formed, the center of which is large city. The core of the agglomeration is beginning to actively form the service and leisure sector.
3. Dynamic agglomeration. This stage provides for the modernization and transfer of production facilities to peripheral areas. At the same time, the logistics system is being developed, which allows for faster merging of the core and satellite cities. Common labor and real estate markets are emerging, 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) strengthen and expand. Work begins to improve the status of the agglomeration to attract more resources and expansion of activities.

Features of Russian agglomerations

To increase the pace economic growth and development of knowledge-intensive production, our country must have clearly formulated and calculated plans for the near and long-term perspective. Historically, a situation has developed in which urban agglomerations in Russia were built exclusively according to the industrial type. This was enough, but with the forced transition to the transformation stage (formation of a market economy), a number of problems arose that had to be eliminated during the 90s. Further development urban agglomerations require centralized government intervention. That is why this topic is often discussed by experts and higher authorities state power. It is necessary to completely restore, modernize and relocate production bases, which will entail dynamic agglomeration processes. Without the participation of the state as a funding and governing body, this stage is inaccessible to many cities. The economic advantages of functioning agglomerations are undeniable, so there is a process of stimulating associations of territorially connected cities and towns. The largest urban agglomeration peace can be created in Russia in the near future. There is everything for this necessary resources, all that remains is to correctly use the main one - administrative.

The largest urban agglomerations in Russia

In fact, today there are no clear statistics. In terms of agglomerations in the Russian Federation, 22 of the largest can be identified, which are developing steadily. In our country, the monocentric type of formation predominates. Urban agglomerations in Russia in most cases are at the industrial stage of development, but their provision of human resources is sufficient for further growth. Based on their numbers and stage of formation, they are arranged in the following sequence (first 10):

1. Moscow.
2. St. Petersburg.
3. Rostovskaya.
4. Samara-Togliatti.
5. Nizhny Novgorod.
6. Novosibirsk.
7. Ekaterinburgskaya.
8. Kazanskaya.
9. Chelyabinskaya.
10. Volgogradskaya.

The number of urban agglomerations in the Russian Federation is growing due to the creation of new associations, which do not necessarily include million-plus cities: the merger occurs due to resource indicators or industrial interests.

World agglomerations

Amazing numbers and facts can be obtained by studying this topic. Some global agglomerations have areas and populations comparable to those of an entire country. Total quantity It is quite difficult to count such subjects, because each expert uses a certain (selected by him) group of signs or one of them. But when considering the ten largest ones, you can count on the unanimity of experts. So:

1. The largest urban agglomeration in the world is Tokyo-Yokohama. Population - 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. Sao Paulo (Brazil).

Problems of urban agglomerations

In front of everyone positive aspects development of the economy, culture, production and science, there is enough large number disadvantages that characterize megacities. Firstly, the large length of communications and the constantly increasing load (with active development) leads to problems in the housing and communal services sector, and accordingly, the level of comfort of citizens decreases. Secondly, transport and logistics schemes do not always provide proper level speed of transportation of goods and people. Thirdly, high level pollution environment(air, water, soil). Fourthly, agglomerations attract most of working population from small towns that are not their satellites. Fifth, complexity administrative management large areas. These problems are known to every city resident, and their elimination requires long-term and labor-intensive work by all city structures.

In places merging, united into a complex multicomponent dynamic system with intensive production, transport and cultural connections. The formation of urban agglomerations is one of the stages of urbanization.

Distinguish monocentric(formed around one large core city, for example, the New York metropolitan area) and polycentric agglomerations (having several core cities, for example, clusters of cities in the Ruhr basin of Germany).

Proximity settlements sometimes it gives the so-called agglomeration effect - economic and social benefits by reducing costs from the spatial concentration of production and other economic facilities in urban agglomerations.

Merger criteria

Criteria for combining territories into different countries are different. But the main generally accepted criteria for combining cities and settlements into one agglomeration are:

• direct adjacency of densely populated areas (cities, towns, settlements) to the main city (city core) without significant gaps in development;
• the area of ​​built-up (urbanized) territories in the agglomeration exceeds the area of ​​agricultural land and forests;
• mass labor, educational, household, cultural and recreational trips (commuting migrations) - at least 10-15% of the working population living in the cities and settlements of the agglomeration work in the center of the main city.

Not taken into account:

• existing administrative-territorial division;
• direct distance itself (without taking into account other factors);
• close subordinate settlements without direct connections along transport corridors;
• nearby self-sufficient cities.

An example of established agglomeration criteria is the definition of the term “agglomeration” adopted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, namely:

a) agglomerations unite several municipalities with at least 20 thousand inhabitants;

b) each agglomeration has a main zone, the core of the city, which includes at least 10 thousand inhabitants;

c) each community of the agglomeration has at least 2 thousand people of working age, of which at least 1/6 are employed in the main city (or groups of main cities for a polycentric agglomeration),

d) for polycentric agglomeration, additional criteria may be:

• no gaps in development (agricultural land, forests) of more than 200 meters,
• the excess of the area of ​​the built-up area over the undeveloped area in the agglomeration is 10 times,
• population growth in previous decades was at least 10% above average.

Agglomerations in developed countries concentrate significant populations. The growth of agglomerations reflects territorial concentration industrial production and labor resources. The spontaneous growth of agglomerations sometimes leads to the formation of a megalopolis (superagglomeration or superagglomeration), the largest form of settlement.

Conurbation

Conurbation- (from Latin con - together and urbs - city),

1. An urban agglomeration of a polycentric type has as cores several cities more or less equal in size and importance in the absence of a clearly dominant one (for example, a cluster of cities in the Ruhr Basin, Germany).
2. in some countries it is synonymous with any urban agglomeration.

The most significant conurbations (polycentric agglomerations) were formed in Europe - the Ruhr in Germany (according to various estimates, depending on the composition of the cities included, from 5 to 11.5 million inhabitants), Randstad Holland in the Netherlands (about 7 million).

Largest agglomerations

The largest agglomeration in the world is led by Tokyo, which has 38 million inhabitants. According to the UN, in 2010 there were about 449 agglomerations on Earth with a population of more than 1 million, including 4 - more than 20 million, 8 - more than 15 million, 25 - more than 10 million, 61 - more than 5 million. 6 states have more than 10 millionaire agglomerations: China (95), USA (44), India (43), Brazil (21), Russia (16), Mexico (12).

According to some estimates, there are up to 22 millionaire agglomerations in Russia, including 7 in non-millionaire cities. The Moscow agglomeration, the largest in Russia, has, according to various estimates, from 15 to 17 million and is in 9-16 place in the world. Another (St. Petersburg) Russian agglomeration has from 5.2 to 6.2 million people, three (polycentric conurbation of Samara-Tolyatti, Ekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod) - more than 2 million, Novosibirsk - about 1.8-1.9 million people .