Human-Geographical Research Perspectives of Urban Agglomerations: Understanding Sustainability in the Context of Adverse External Impact

Abstract

This article explores certain theoretical and methodological aspects of the human-geographical study of urban agglomerations. This research gains particular relevance in the context of the full-scale war in Ukraine. The study aims to highlight the theoretical and methodological aspects of the human-geographical study of urban agglomerations. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were identified: to analyze the theoretical and methodological foundations of the socio-geographical study of urban agglomerations; to characterize the essence of urban agglomerations as a functional component of the socio-geosystem; to define the term “ axis of sustainability” and reveal its features using the Kharkiv agglomeration as an example. The research identifies that the functioning of an urban agglomeration relies on various integration processes: economic, infrastructural, spatial, social, cultural, and ecological integration. Given its systemic nature, an urban agglomeration is defined as a complex, open territorial system that includes one or several large core cities and adjacent urban and rural settlements. These are interconnected by permanent and integrated economic, social-communication, cultural, ecological, transport, and innovative ties, forming a unified functional space with high interaction intensity. “Growth poles” play a crucial role in maintaining adaptability for settlement system functioning and development, forming a kind of “axis of sustainability”. This term refers to a “dynamic element of the settlement framework that, under adverse or hostile conditions, ensures the functioning and development of a given territory through intensive connections and an expanded range of functions.” Testing this theory using data from the Kharkiv region demonstrates that russia’s military aggression has had a devastating impact on the area. Analyzing the dynamics of the region’s “axis of sustainability “ from 1991 to the present reveals that only two out of the six axes that existed before the war are still functional. However, their presence indicates the potential for recovery and further regional development.