Identification of agglomeration boundaries (a case study of Irkutsk oblast)
D.A. BUBNOVICH1,2, E.I. NAGOVITSINA2,3, A.D. OVECHKINA2
1Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
2Regional State Budgetary Institution “Competence Center”, Irkutsk, Russia
3V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
Keywords: Irkutsk agglomeration, territorial-administrative approach, transport approach, territorial planning scheme, socio-economic development strategy
Abstract
The article examines the uncertainty of the concept of “agglomeration” in regional and federal documents of strategic and territorial planning, as well as in scientific literature. As a result of the analysis of documents of various levels, as well as scientific works by reputable authors in this field, a comparative table has been formed, allowing us to trace the dynamics of the term of “urban agglomeration”. Most of the given definitions indicate that an agglomeration requires a “core”, satellites and production, economic, social and transport links between them. Practical approaches to identifying the boundaries of the Irkutsk agglomeration, their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. Based on the analysis of the national project “Safe High-Quality Roads”, the Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of Irkutsk Oblast until 2036 and the main document of territorial planning of the region, i.e. the Scheme of Territorial Planning of Irkutsk Oblast, two approaches to identifying the boundaries of the agglomeration, reflecting the differences in its delimitation, are substantiated, namely: transport and territorial-administrative. The approach of the national project is based on the development of transport infrastructure, while the approach reflected in the Strategy and the Scheme of Territorial Planning takes into account the principle of territorial indivisibility and time intervals of accessibility to the core of the Irkutsk agglomeration - the city of Irkutsk. The article considers the provisions of the draft federal law “On Urban Agglomerations”, which for the first time provides an approved list of criteria for identifying an agglomeration, such as the presence of a center, the average density of territorial entities that make up the agglomeration, and transport accessibility of peripheral territories in relation to the core. In addition to defining the criteria, this project will make it possible to consolidate the terminological base for agglomerations, establish legal and organizational conditions for their functioning, and determine the powers of regional and municipal authorities in managing agglomeration processes.
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