4 August 2020

00:17:29 05.08.2020 Back

CONCEPT OF DEVELOPMENT OF URBORURAL TERRITORIES ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

When researching the issue of sustainable development of large agglomerations, it is worth paying attention to the large number of analytical reports, which are based on the construction of ratings, comparisons and comparisons on various sets of indicators. Let's dwell in more detail on two of them.

The first, the Global Cities Index, is compiled by consulting firm A.T. Kearney and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Research Institute (https://www.kearney.com/global-cities/2019 for more information). The study covers in different periods from 150 to 170 of the largest agglomerations and cities in the world. The methodology is quite complex, so the results are interpreted only once every few years. It should be noted that Kyiv, as the only city in Ukraine, was included in the ranking only until 2016 (included in the Beta + category). In the methodology of the authors of the study, the very concept of «global city» (Global City) implies the following settlement, which creates a global impact in the main areas:

1. Acts as a driving force for growth for their country and region.

2. Significantly affects not only large regions of the planet, but also civilization as a whole.

3. Acts as an important element of the world economic system.

All cities covered by the study are assessed according to 25 cultural, social and political criteria, grouped into five main categories: level of business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural level, political weight and institutions. The long-standing dominance of the world's most competitive cities – such as London, New York, Singapore and San Francisco – is no coincidence. Focusing on human capital, well-thought-out municipal policies, smart corporate investments and a commitment to building a technological path into the future, these cities have become global hubs that attract people and businesses.

The main indicators included in the rating are mostly accumulated in the sphere of economy and society and only tangentially, some of them show the ecological condition of the territories. At the same time, the rapid growth of cities and their populations leads to a sharp exacerbation of a vital problem: compliance with environmental safety in a relatively compact and densely populated area. Also, the rating does not take into account the role of the rural component in the development of large cities. At the same time, the areas selected for analysis have long ceased to be exclusively urban space, becoming urban. The issue of urban sustainable development, the formation of a «green» economy in urban areas is receiving increasing attention, including at the interstate level. The decisions of recent UN conferences on the transition to sustainable development based on the Goals, one of which (Goal 11) is directly related to cities: «Ensuring openness, security, sustainability and environmental sustainability of cities and towns» are illustrative.

In the context of the above, it is worth mentioning the existence of The UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index (http://urbandata.unhabitat.org/). This index determines the level of development of the city in several categories, which assess the widespread use of public goods, which allows for equal access to the development of sustainable development policy. Based on this, UN-Habitat conceptualized urban development according to the following criteria: productivity, infrastructure development, quality of life, justice and social activism, environmental sustainability, urban governance and legislation. Thus, in contrast to the Global Cities Index, the categories of The UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index are much broader and cover all components of sustainable socio-ecological and economic development, but Ukrainian cities are not represented in it.

Such ratings allow to compare the vectors and strategy of sustainable development of agglomerations from different hierarchical levels, allow to assess the effectiveness of step-by-step solutions, which form the basis of the concept of urban development. Schematically, the concept includes both global strategic goals and individual programs and tools for their implementation (Fig.).

The development of urban territory according to this concept is complicated for the entire local population, as well as for each organization and institution by additional risks and challenges. It is the responsibility of each institution to coordinate this process and ensure its cohesion and continuity. Their mission is expressed through the methods and tools used to effectively implement the vision of the development of territories of this type.

Thus, the complex urban space requires appropriate innovative approaches to implement the chosen concept of development, namely: structural and dynamic changes in ensuring socio-ecological and economic security in the context of creating an innovation and technological base for sustainable development of urban agglomerations, innovations in waste management production and appropriate institutional support for streamlining the urban agglomeration.

 

Department of Natural-Technogenic and Environmental Safety