Urban agglomeration: developing approaches to a new phenomenon

Abstract

Object: the article studies the essence and features of urban agglomerations (hereinafter referred to as UA), the system of interrelation with neighbouring districts and cities. In addition, the authors of the article considered scientific and theoretical approaches to the concept of urban agglomerations, different stages of development and factors affecting them.
Methods: the study was conducted using the following methods: general scientific dialectical method of cognition, which was chosen to determine the essence of urban agglomerations in general and the factors affecting their economic development — system approach, since urban agglomerations are a set of interconnected and mutually conditioned territories with a certain centre, i.e. shows signs of coherence;
The comparative approach is central and necessary in this study to identify the common constituents of urban agglomerations.
Findings: the research showed that UAs are a product of human activity. They are created by people who prefer to live, work and rest in close proximity to each other. UAs are also formed due to economic-political, and social norms of society development, but they can differ from each other depending on the specific territory, which is influenced in a complex by specific factors of a certain region. The factors can include political-economic, cultural-social, communication innovation-technological, transport, infrastructure, housing and utilities, production, natural-climatic, environmental and other factors that attract the population and improve the quality and conditions of living.
Conclusions: Foreign authors tend to emphasize economic and demographic aspects of UAs. They often define urban agglomerations as a continuous territory consisting of one or more cities, towns, villages and neighboring territories, focusing on physical aspects. Kazakh scientists believe that UA is an association of territories based on political, economic, production, social, cultural, national, religious, and environmental attributes or factors. However, despite the divergence in scientific circles, many scientists come to a common opinion that UA should be studied in a complex and systematic way depending on the territory under study. Each scientist has his or her own opinion and this topic has not been fully explored yet, today there is no single definition of the essence, and features of UA, so this topic always causes disputes and disagreements and is the object of current research.