Urban Agglomeration as an Element of Regional Policy (Canada example)

Abstract

The transition from the alignment of regional development policy levels to the polarized politics of development leads to the task of forming a new system of strategic objectives of territorial development and mechanisms to achieve them. This agglomeration acting as «locomotives» of economic and social development for the surrounding areas can become centers for the modernization and development of the entire national economy. The article considers the role of urban centers in the formation of a federal state regional policy on the example of Canada. The paper analyzes the causes and consequences of the emergence of urban agglomerations, administrative and political structure of emerged subjects, considers entities organized on the basis of public / municipal-private partnerships, focusing on the implementation of cluster initiatives in the territory of agglomerations. On the example of metropolitan areas of Toronto and Montreal, features of formation of a control system and the development of urban centers in Canada are highlighted. The work reveals the positive and negative sides of the agglomeration municipalities, a comparative analysis of the characteristics of agglomerate in Russia and Canada is presented, approaches are proposed. The presented Canadian experience shows that in formation of urban agglomeration it is necessary to seek a compromise between integration and individualization.