Urban agglomeration: human-geographical concept in the sustainable development perspective
Abstract
Urban agglomerations are complex, open, and dynamic territorial systems that play a central role in spatial development, innovation, and societal well-being amid the challenges of globalization, environmental risks, and socio-political instability. In the context of war, forced displacement, and widespread infrastructure damage, urban agglomerations in Ukraine have emerged not only as centers of population concentration but also as crucial hubs for resilience, recovery, and strategic planning.
The purpose of this study is to conceptualize the urban agglomeration as a functional subsystem of the social and geographical system `and to develop a structural model that integrates internal subsystems with multilevel external environments. The research aims to identify key elements of internal interaction and external influence, explain the systemic logic of agglomeration dynamics, and determine the role of governance in ensuring sustainability and resilience. The methodological foundation combines a human-geographical approach with systemic, synergistic, and sustainable development paradigms, supported by modeling, typology, content analysis, and analytical synthesis.
Results. The paper presents an original structural model of an urban agglomeration comprising eight interconnected internal subsystems: social, economic, demographic, innovation-technological, architectural-construction, infrastructural-service, transport-logistics, and natural-ecological. These subsystems interact via synergistic mechanisms and form a cohesive internal environment capable of adaptive self-regulation. Particular attention is paid to the governance subsystem, which includes strategic (conceptual planning), executive (implementation of decisions), and monitoring (evaluation and feedback) functions. This subsystem plays a crucial role in managing complexity and ensuring long-term sustainability. The model also systematizes the external environment into three hierarchical levels: regional, national, and global. Each level generates specific political, legal, economic, cultural, and technological impacts that shape agglomeration development. Five types of interaction–internal systemic connections, adaptive feedback loops, energy exchange, resource flows, and information-communication channels–are identified as mechanisms that maintain functional integrity, enable adaptation to external shocks, and support sustainable development trajectories. The proposed model contributes to the theoretical foundation of urban agglomeration studies by bridging disciplinary gaps and integrating spatial, functional, and governance dimensions into a unified systemic framework. It offers practical utility for strategic planning, urban policy design, sustainability assessment, and post-war reconstruction. This framework is especially relevant for countries and regions undergoing crisis or transformation, where resilient urban systems must be built on principles of sustainability, inclusiveness, and interconnectivity.
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