METROPOLIES OF LODZY AND LVIV: FEATURES OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Over the last 25–30 years, major cities and surrounding areas have undergone significant changes in socio-economic and spatial structure. As a result of radical restructuring, traditional industries have disappeared and are being gradually replaced by new types of business activity, especially in the services sector, with increasing processes of suburbanization and development of functions belonging to the IV sector of the economy.The purpose of the article is to determine the actual scale of urban transformations of large cities and their environment in terms of performed «new» functions, their delineation for the purpose of further development of the territory in the context of new processes. The tasks are solved: clarification of the concepts of metropolis, metropolitan space, «metropolitan» functions; the selection of transformation analysis and evaluation criteria for setting the boundaries and scale of change; characteristics of the spatial structures of Lodz and Lviv as metropolitan formations; determining the role of metropolitan functions in ongoing processes; substantiation of the ways of using the experience of the Lodz metropolis to the formation and development of the metropolitan space of Lviv.An analysis of the current theoretical developments and practical activities at forcing the development of large cities in the EU countries confirms that the priority for the development of modern cities with metropolitan functions is based on effective use of human potential and ensuring the quality of inhabitants life. At the same time, competition for a highly intellectual person and intellectual resources capable of generating innovations and serving as an impetus for the development of cities and regions becomes crucial. A new trend in urban development is the humanization of cities - the ones must first and foremost be comfortable for life, work and personal development, comply with the requirements to create the relevant conditions for self-realization and unlocking creative potential and maintaining health.A comparative analysis of Lviv and the Polish city of Lodz is carried out regarding new features and approaches to the formation of metropolitan spaces. Search for opportunities to apply the Polish experience to the practice of Ukraine. Attention is focused, among other things, on the «capital» functions of the selected cities. Despite certain challenges and barriers, Lviv has a strong enough potential to become a leading, creative hub in the fields of culture, science and innovation economy, a key element of Ukraine's European future.