Polycentric Agglomeration Research Articles

The Spatial Differentiation Characteristics and Influencing Mechanisms of Intangible Cultural Heritage in China

Intangible cultural heritage represents a cultural evolution shaped by human responses to adapting and transforming environments. Unveiling the characteristics and patterns of its spatial distribution can offer a more scientific foundation for the protection of intangible cultural heritage and the development of heritage tourism. By using ArcGIS software and Geo-detector, the regional differentiation characteristics and influencing mechanisms of Intangible Cultural Heritage, specifically the Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art (HCFCA), have been investigated. Results show that the distribution and structure of HCFCA in China vary significantly across regions and categories. Eastern China holds the highest number, while Southern China has fewer. Traditional fine arts and dance dominate, with folk literature being less represented. HCFCA exhibits a clear clustering trend, reflecting a "Polycentric Agglomeration" pattern, particularly in traditional drama, calligraphy, craftsmanship, sports, performing arts, and acrobatics. The study presents an influential mechanism model, with the natural environment as foundational, economic development as the primary driver, social development as supplementary support, and historical background as a catalyzing factor. This understanding not only enriches theoretical insights but also provides a scientific basis for the protection of intangible cultural heritage and the development of heritage tourism.

Research on the mechanism and policies of polycentric agglomeration for promoting the upgrading of China's position in the global production value chain

Recently, with the increasing trend of anti-globalization, China's manufacturing industry has encountered instability in the supply of upstream products in international trade, a challenge that has given rise to an urgent demand for ways to improve China's position in the global production chain. In response to this challenge, the 14th Five-Year Plan puts forward the strategic goal of building multi-level, multi-node, networked city clusters and trade powerhouses, which provides new development opportunities for China to strengthen its position in the global production chain through the model of polycentric agglomeration. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of polycentric agglomeration on the position of enterprises in the global production chain, this project will use the instrumental variable estimation method to conduct an empirical study. This method can help us accurately identify the causal relationship between polycentric agglomeration and global production chain position and assess the differential impact of different agglomeration patterns on firms' production chain position. Through this study, we expect to reveal how polycentric agglomeration can enhance firms' global production chain positions through mechanisms such as optimizing resource allocation, promoting technological innovation, and strengthening industrial chain synergies. In addition, we plan to explore the impact of polycentric agglomeration on the evolution of firms' roles in global value chains and on international trade competitiveness. The objective of this study is to provide targeted recommendations for policymakers and enterprises to help them achieve high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry by optimizing the structure of polycentric agglomeration in the context of global production chain restructuring. Through this comprehensive study, we expect to provide scientific decision support and action guidelines for China's sustainable upgrading and competitiveness enhancement in global production chains.

Мастер-план Казанской агломерации как основа поддержки региональных проектов

Recently, the tasks of balanced spatial development have been successfully solved by means of use of well-established scientific tools for agglomeration development. This type of spatial development provides for the need to ensure integrated transport and communication accessibility for infrastructure development of social and economic potential of the territory and taking into account many factors to increase the efficiency of the functioning of the elements of agglomeration system. A key element of strategic development of the agglomeration is the development of appropriate project master plans. The article provides scientific substantiation of approaches to the development of a master plan for Kazan agglomeration. The development of Kazan agglomeration is the result of the process of self-organization and selfdevelopment of the city of Kazan and its surrounding municipalities. As a basis for the development of a polycentric agglomeration, intensive ties between the elements of the territorial system are analyzed: elements of residential development, social, transport, and engineering infrastructures growing together. Common markets for housing, labor, and services have been formed and are developing. The model of the territorial development of Kazan agglomeration is analyzed, which includes three main parts, i.e., organizational, regulatory, and legal support, financial mechanism. The organizational part is based on a long-term plan of social and economic institutions in the region. Regulatory support for agglomeration development is provided by relevant federal laws. As one of financial instruments, the authors suggest an infrastructure menu as well as tools that provide the opportunity to reduce the debt of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation to the federal budget on state loans. Taking into account the long-term nature and importance of the development of these documents for the further balanced social and economic development of territories, the need for immediate organization of work on similar preparatory work in terms of the development of inter-municipal teams, their training, and the collection of primary information on the Kama and Almetyevsk agglomeration was proved.

Агломерации Ставропольского края: сравнение пространственной и демографической динамики

Introduction. Two agglomeration-type settlement systems have formed in the Stavropol Krai, – the monocentric Stavropol agglomeration and the polycentric agglomeration of the Caucasian Mineral Waters (the CMW). At the present stage, demographic processes in the Stavropol Krai most intensively occur within the “borders” of the represented agglomerations; migration processes are observed leading to the population being drawn into the centers of agglomerations, which increases their role in the settlement system. The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial and demographic dynamics of agglomerations in the Stavropol Krai, highlighting common features in demographic processes and features characteristic of each agglomeration. Materials and research methods. The work uses data from the Office of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Stavropol Territory (from 2012 to 2021), population census materials (1989, 2002, 2010, 2021), documents from territorial planning and urban planning, our own observations and field results territory research. Based on these data, a general description of the Stavropol agglomeration and the CMW agglomeration is given, spatial organization of settlement is analyzed, and current trends in its demographic development are determined. Research results and their discussion. In the course of the study, the authors analyze the birth rate, mortality, natural population growth, migration processes, population dynamics, and the ethnic composition of the population of each agglomeration of the Stavropol Territory. The analysis was carried out at the level of cities, urban and municipal districts, which makes it possible to assess intra-agglomeration processes, whether they are uniform for the entire agglomeration or have spatial patterns. Conclusions. The analysis of demographic dynamics of two agglomerations of the Stavropol Krai allows the authors to draw conclusions. The Stavropol agglomeration and the agglomeration of the Caucasian Mineral Waters act as centers of concentration of the urban population in the Stavropol region and are the main areas of attraction for migrants. Agglomerations are characterized by increasing numbers and natural population growth. Migration population growth, which is currently declining, has contributed to an increase in population throughout the post-Soviet period. Currently, agglomerations have concentrated the significant demographic potential of the Stavropol region.

Polycentric agglomeration and haze pollution: evidence from China.

Polycentric agglomeration has gradually become a salient feature of rapid growth in urbanization in China. Using province-level balanced panel data over the period 2000-18, we examine the impact of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution and its mechanism of action. The results show that the impact of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution exhibits a significant inverted U-shaped feature. Nevertheless, except for a few provinces where polycentric agglomeration exceeds the turning point, the degree of polycentric concentration in most provinces lies to the left of the turning point. Further, a mediating effect model illustrates that industrial structure rationalization and technological progress are effective paths through which polycentric agglomeration affects haze pollution. Finally, we demonstrate that the effect of polycentric agglomeration on haze pollution is influenced by transportation and communication infrastructure; improved transportation and communication infrastructure contributes to the haze control effect of polycentric agglomeration.

Combined Small- and Large-Scale Geo-Spatial Analysis of the Ruhr Area for an Environmental Justice Assessment

This paper investigates spatial relationships regarding the accessibility of urban green space, the overall yearly vitality of the surrounding vegetation, and additional indicators such as air and noise pollution, in urban areas. The analysis uses socio-economic data sets derived from a sophisticated disaggregation approach. It results from applying a new tool that processes data from coarse and small-scale data sets to smaller spatial units in order to derive more fine-grained insights into the characteristics of the smallest suburb. The consequent data sets are then augmented by comprehensive raster-based accessibility network analysis and the incorporation of measured data on air and noise pollution. Gaining an overview over the whole area on the one hand, and looking at smaller city districts in detail on the other, unveils whether there is an imbalance regarding all combined indicators. After correlating two socio-economic indicators, a spatial comparison of the preliminary results determines whether this approach reveals neighborhoods wherein residents of a lower socio-economic status are exposed to multiple threats at once. As a result, the paper presents a workflow to obtain a broader and, at the same time, more small-scale overview of polycentric agglomeration. Simultaneously, it provides a large-scale insight into single sites, right down to the city block level. Consequently, this study provides a sophisticated approach that helps to assess the quality, quantity and characteristics of the specific spatial distribution of environmental justice in small- to large-scale urban areas at a glance. The results help to identify regions of inequalities and disadvantages. They allow for querying additional values assigned to large-scale spatial units. These versatile variables provide a means to reveal other noticeable indicators. Furthermore, this entails the opportunity to evaluate the distinct living conditions of locally affected demographic groups, and improve them with tailored approaches. Finally, the results can enhance the perception of these living conditions, and be used to promote the capacity for organizing the lives of the respective residents more sustainably, helping the neighborhood to grow accordingly.

Koncepcja rozwiązania modelowego dla systemu bezpieczeństwa publicznego dużej aglomeracji miejskiej

The subject of this study is to present the concept of a model solution for the public security system of monocentric and polycentric agglomeration. Taking into account the security conditions of a large urban agglomeration, one universal scheme of police organization has been adopted. Its func-tioning on the basis of specific forms and methods to some extent limits the autonomy of police chiefs in shaping safety in accordance with the specificity and internal social and organizational conditions of the agglomeration. Among the available research methods, the participatory observation method was used in particular. Nevertheless, the basic scientific method for obtaining empirical data was a diagnostic survey. Furthermore, the article presents the opinion of police officers on the transfer of solutions from the Warsaw agglomeration to other agglomerations in Poland. The author’s conceptual proposal of a model solution for the public safety system of a large urban agglomeration was presented.

Polycentric agglomeration, market integration and green economic efficiency

The green economy is particularly important in China's pursuit of high-quality economic growth. Adopting China's provincial balance panel data from 2000 to 2017, this article attempts to reveal the impact of polycentric agglomeration on green total factor productivity, its action path, and the synergistic effect of market integration by employing instrumental variable estimation and a mediating effect model. A significant inverted U-shaped relationship is found between polycentric agglomeration and green total factor productivity, and the polycentric agglomeration in most provinces has not exceeded the inflection point. Furthermore, the mediating effect shows that functional urban specialization and technological innovation are effective paths through which polycentric agglomeration enhances green total factor productivity. Finally, market integration contributes to green total factor productivity, and a significant positive synergistic effect exists between market integration and polycentric agglomeration. Therefore, this paper argues that China should continue to develop polycentric agglomeration and accelerate the process of market integration to promote green economic efficiency.

Dynamic train unit coupling and decoupling at cruising speed: Systematic classification, operational potentials, and research agenda

The possibility to couple train units into consists, which can be vehicles or platoons, has been proposed to improve, among other, average passenger speed, energy efficiency, and railway infrastructure capacity utilization. We systematically review and categorize the technologies and application of coupling train units into vehicles or platoons, identifying different generations of train coupling, which are used for railway operations. The requirements, compatibility in terms of infrastructure and vehicle equipment as well as backward compatibility are analyzed. The potential of a dynamic train unit coupling and decoupling at cruising speed is proposed, and identified as the 4th generation of train coupling. The possibility of current technology to implement a mechanical dynamic coupling and decoupling at cruising speed is reviewed, with functional requirements and steps of such a process. Based on dynamic coupling at cruising speed, various operating concepts are presented, with focus on commuter-networks between polycentric agglomerations. The potential of dynamic coupling and decoupling at cruising speed might reach travel time reductions in the order of 1/3 and no transfers, for a typical test case in Switzerland between Bern and Zurich.

Is There Urban Landscape in Metropolitan Areas? An Unobvious Answer Based on Corine Land Cover Analyses

The recent increase in urban areas has stimulated landscape urbanization. One of the ways to study this process is an analysis based on the structure of land cover. The aim of this paper is to assess the intensity of the urban landscape on the basis of the CORINE in the seven largest metropolitan areas in Poland and in the Ruhr Metropolis in Germany. To this end, an urban landscape intensity indicator (ULII) was used based on Corine Land Cover at three levels of detail: the metropolitan area, municipalities and hexagons. There are similarities in landscape structure in areas with similar origin (industrial function) and spatial organization (mono- and polycentric agglomerations). The landscape of the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie Metropolis differs from the landscape of other metropolitan areas in Poland and simultaneously shows similarities to the landscape of the Ruhr Metropolis. The results of the ULII also revealed a dependency: the dominance of rural and transitional landscapes in a majority of the study areas. Urban landscapes occur only in the central zones of the metropolitan areas. This proves that determining the range of a metropolitan area in terms of landscape factors is different from doing it with formal or legal ones.

МІСТА-ЛІДЕРИ ЯК СУБ’ЄКТИ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

In this article explores and describes the leading cities that are modern leading actors in economic relations and describes their characteristics. It is shows a path of formation of their leadership, which they have passed since ancient times, then shows the path of formation of world metropolises with the transition to the modern period. Their role in solving global world issues is analyzed. Their importance in holding large-scale, world events, such as the Olympic Games or the World Cup, is shown. It is demonstrated which cities currently hold the world leadership and the results of this leadership are shown. The main features of global cities are described. The characteristics of the agglomeration are given and its role in the formation of monocentric and polycentric agglomerations is shown. The economic, social and other reasons for the rapid growth of the leading cities are analyzed and the forecast of world changes in this direction for the next 30 years is given. The are changes brought by COVID-19 in the functioning and development of life in the leading cities are shown. The main areas that will lead to a faster exit of the leading cities from the crisis in which the whole world fell in 2020 are described. The indicators by which the cities that become leaders of global economic development in certain years are determined are demonstrated. An analysis of American, European and Asian cities that are leaders not only in their regions but also in the world is given. The International ranking «Global cities: new priorities for the new world» 2020 Global Cities Report, which for the first time included the city of Kyiv, which forms its position as a global city, which is a subregional center of Eastern Europe, was analyzed. The role of the fourth industrial revolution, which identifies new challenges and opportunities for the development of global cities, is described. The perspective of future development of the city, which are the centers and channels of global commodity, financial, human and information flows and will remain so in the future, is shown. Extensive opportunities for transnational administration are shown, and mediation between politics and business creates a favorable investment climate in global cities.

ФЕНОМЕН ГЛОБАЛЬНЫХ ГОРОДОВ И АГЛОМЕРАЦИОННАЯ ПОЛИТИКА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The contemporary perception of the global cities phenomenon is reviewed within the paper. of The bill about urban agglomerations’ research, supplemented by the analysis of the statistic data about the economic and human resources’ allocation among Russian cities and regions, enabled us to conclude that the State’s efforts are insufficient for formation new global cities beside the existing Moscow agglomeration. A contemporary agglomeration policy of Russia can’t be considered as effective and is to be corrected, taking into account the network approach ideas, which sight at formation of polycentric agglomerations.

Identification and Geographic Distribution of Accommodation and Catering Centers

As the most important manifestation of the activities of the life service industry, the reasonable layout of spatial agglomeration and dispersion of the accommodation and catering industry plays an important role in guiding the spatial structure of the urban industry and population. Applying the contour tree and location quotient index methods, based on points of interest (POI) data of the accommodation and catering industry in Beijing and on the identification of the spatial structure and cluster center of the accommodation and catering industry, we investigated the distribution and agglomeration characteristics of the urban accommodation and catering industry from the perspective of industrial spatial differentiation. The results show that: (1) the accommodation and catering industry in Beijing presents a polycentric agglomeration pattern in space, mainly distributed within a radius of 20 km from the city center and on a relatively large scale; areas beyond this distance contain isolated single cluster centers. (2) From the perspective of the industry, the cluster centers close to the core area of the city are characterized by the agglomeration of multiple advantageous industries, while those in the outer suburbs of the city are more prominent in a single industry. (3) From the perspective of the location quotient of cluster centers, the leisure catering industries are mainly located close to the urban centers. On the contrary, the cluster centers in the outer suburbs and counties are relatively small and dominated by restaurants and fast food industries. Commercial accommodation businesses are mainly distributed in the transportation hub centers and in entertainment and leisure areas.

The prospects of formation of transboundary agglomeration (On the example of Almetyevsk – Oktyabrsky agglomeration)

The goal of this article consists in assessment of possibility of existence of transregional agglomeration between the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Bashkortostan based on evaluation of the criteria of composition of agglomeration. The subject of this research is the composition of the oilfield service polycentric small urban agglomeration Oktyabrsky – Tuymazy located on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan, as well as the composition of the Almetyevsk polycentric agglomeration located on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan, which provisionally includes both indicated agglomerations along with other potential zoned of influence of the largest cities of agglomeration – Almetyevsk and Oktyabrsky. The criteria for delimitation contained economic, integration and geographical. The object of this research is the municipal formation of city district level and municipal districts (8 municipal formations on the part of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and 12 municipal formations on the part of the Republic of Tatarstan). The research covers the period from 2014 to 2018. The conclusion is made that the oilfield service polycentric small urban agglomeration Oktyabrsky – Tuymazy and Almetyevsk polycentric agglomeration, which are formalized  to one or another degree, do not correspond with the classical approaches towards assessment of agglomerativity, as they do not have a balance between functional roles of the core and the periphery of agglomeration. At the same time the strength of economic gravitation of the municipal formations between the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Bashkortostan leads to the establishment of Almetyevsk – Oktyabrsky polycentric transregional agglomeration, which provisionally includes both of the  indicated agglomerations, and which in accordance with the classical parameters for assessing delimitation and agglomeration level can be considered a more developed agglomeration than the initial ones.

Metropolitan rail network robustness

In large-scale urban agglomerations, heavy rail in the form of metro and commuter train serves as the backbone of the metropolitan public transport network. The objective of this paper is to investigate whether networks with strikingly different structure and development pattern exhibit different robustness properties in the event of random and targeted attacks. We adopt a complex network theory approach, investigating network performances under alternative sequential disruption scenarios corresponding to the successive closure of either stations or track segments. We also investigate the case where the removal of a network node or link implies the closure of all traversing lines Network performance is measured both in terms of the capacity of the network to function in terms of connectivity as well as the additional impedance induced for those that remain connected. An aggregate robustness indicator based on the integral of the deterioration of network performance is adopted. Three exemplary networks are selected, the urban rail networks of London, Shanghai and Randstad. These three networks offer showcases of short and long development patterns, mono- and polycentric agglomeration structures, including the largest and the oldest metropolitan heavy rail networks. The polycentric network of the Randstad was found the least robust in this analysis when compared to the more monocentric networks of London and Shanghai. The London network is in general more robust than the Shanghai network thanks to the presence of cycles beyond the core. Our findings provide more nuanced evidence on the relation between network structure and development pattern, and its robustness.

Transport System of the Rostov Agglomeration: Infrastructural Limitations and Directions of Development

The sustainable development of regions implies unity and the inclusion of social, economical and spatial subsystems which are supported by means of advanced land use planning and encouraging agglomeration processes as well as developing transport infrastructure. The article describes the results of analyzing the current situation of the transport system in the Rostov agglomeration, its growth prospects by means of implementing major infrastructural projects which are the most important tool for accelerated development and increasing the inflow of investments into the regional economy. Such projects include “Aeropolis” which is being implemented within the territory of Grushevsky settlement adjacent to the Platov airport complex, creating the system of high-speed railway lines “Donskoy express”, “Rostov ring road” project aimed at developing a belt highway encircling Rostov-on-Don. Additionally, it is noted that today one of the key problems of the Rostov agglomeration is a high load of principal transport routes which connect the agglomeration with the regional neighboring suburban areas as well as with the traffic system of Rostov-on-Don. The results of the economic analysis show that the construction of motor ways, carriageway extension, improvement of junctions and crossroads do not encourage economic growth and more likely aggravate the problem of transport network overload. In order to reduce traffic load on roads it is essential to pursue a coordinated city-planning and transport policy intended to enhance the quality of performance of public vehicles, reduce the use of passenger cars. One of the solutions of the transport network load problem in the agglomeration can be the formation of a polycentric agglomeration model which would allow reducing traffic load on the metropolitan city.

New features of social inequality: Edward Soya’s concept of postmodernist urbanization

The article examines the concept of urbanization of the American researcher Edward Soja, who notes the transition from metropolis to postmetropolis, thereby fixing the emergence of postmodern urban entities. He argues the need to develop a new urban research methodology, since the models of the Chicago school are outdated. They describe monocentric cities, and in the modern world we are dealing with polycentric agglomerations. Soya demonstrates that the social problems of cities are beginning to spread to the suburbs, which are no longer prosperous areas. The main reasons for the new stage of urbanization are highlighted: globalization, economic restructuring and the development of information and communication technologies. Six modern discourses related to the design and functioning of the post-metropolis are analyzed in detail. The main problems of postmetropolis are considered: inequality, social injustice, uneven distribution of social benefits, exclusion, rising crime, environmental degradation, etc. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of suburbs, which leads to a change in spatial inequality and the emergence of new forms of it.

Особенности социально-экономического и пространственного развития полицентрической агломерации Рандстад

Особенности социально-экономического и пространственного развития полицентрической агломерации Рандстад

Emerging urban centrality: An entropy-based indicator of polycentric development and economic growth

This study moves in the debate on polycentric development in Europe proposing an entropy-based indicator of urban centrality based on local-scale diversity in soil sealing levels. This indicator reflects a progressive transition from a mono-centric and hyper-compact morphology towards polycentric agglomerations, with formation (or consolidation) of sub-centres structurally and functionally distinct from central cities. The proposed approach was tested in three metropolitan regions (Barcelona, Rome and Athens) with the aim to provide a comparative analysis of recent urbanization patterns in European countries affected by rapid processes of urban spillover. The local socioeconomic structure underlying urban expansion was investigated using descriptive, correlation and multivariate analysis of 52 contextual indicators. Results of this study shed light on long-term urbanization patterns in the examined cities, providing evidence of a progressive settlement scattering in Rome and Athens. Early signals of polycentrism were observed in Barcelona. Diversification in the level of soil sealing decreased with the distance from central cities. The article finally debates on the use of composite indexes of diversification in the level of soil sealing when assessing polycentric urban development.

Residential choice in polycentric border-crossing agglomeration areas: the example of the Lake Constance-Alpine Rhine Valley

This paper is one of the first studies that outlines and deals with differences and similarities arising in polycentric border-crossing agglomerations in knowledge-based economies. We examine the multi-country border-crossing polycentric agglomeration in the Lake Constance-Alpine Rhine Valley region, comprised of Liechtenstein and parts of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. We specifically try to identify factors influencing the residential choice within a polycentric border-crossing agglomeration in a knowledge-based economy. Although the results and outcomes are limited to the case-study region, the implications could be tested in other polycentric border-crossing agglomerations characterised by knowledge-based economies across the globe. The most important factors for residential choice are proximity to family and friends, safety, career opportunities and a high standard of living.