Geoecological assessment of the prospective system for the development of cities in the Central Chernozemic region of Russia based on the index method

Abstract

The article presents the results of assessing the comfort potential and development prospects of the urbanized territories of the Central Chernozemic region of Russia based on the developed and tested geoinformation index of the urban environment comfort development potential (City Development Potential Index, CDPI). The calculation of the total indicator of the areas of technogeosystems by ecological and functional structures was carried out, followed by an analysis of the ratio of existing and planned landscape units to areas suitable for expanding green infrastructure. For the first time, cartographic models of Voronezh, Belgorod and Kursk are presented, showing the spatial distribution of urban geosystems with index values. On the basis of the obtained geoinformation values, features of urban development and geomorphometric indicators, landscape structures were identified to develop the comfort of the urban environment. Calculations of index values for the presented cities showed significant differences, due to the peculiarities of the urban structure and spatio-temporal development of the territories. In the city of Voronezh, the values of the CDPI index are characterized by negative and low positive, the territory is relatively suitable for planting trees and shrubs. Belgorod is distinguished by extremely low values of the environmental comfort development potential index among the selected cities. Index values aimed at determining the potential for the development of comfort in the city of Kursk are significantly higher than those of Voronezh. Positive indicators of the index (above +0.5) were recorded, indicating a high level of prospects for the formation of green infrastructure with a low degree of economic pressure on the landscape.