The role of nodal centers in achieving balanced regional development

Abstract

Uneven regional development is characteristic of a large part of the society, from micro to macro regional level. One of the ways for overcoming this problem is effectively spatially and functionally connection of the largest nodal center of the region, among themselves and with the settlements in its gravitational sphere. In this paper, nodal centers are presented as poles of convergence of the population and functions, from which development impacts – the main factors of socio-economic transformation of the region - are spreading out. It also analyzed the possibilities for achieving balanced regional development presented through the prism of the functional impact of nodal centers in that process. Nodal (functional) region is a theoretical basis of the work. Also, nodal region is starting point of functional-process paradigm, resulting from modern processes whose by their functional influence changing the structure of space.