Features of the post-industrial development of agglomerations as the core of economy

The dominance of agglomerations in post-industrial economic development is a global trend due to the transition to a knowledge economy and the formation of consumer, compact cities. Production as such — agriculture, industry — goes to the periphery both in terms of their role in economy and in geographical terms. The main place is occupied by services: entertainment and ensuring high-quality reproduction of the population — healthcare and education. An essential condition for the successful development of peripheral locations is attainability of the core of agglomeration by a daily trip. Agglomerations are becoming virtually uncontested for ensuring relatively high general levels of labor productivity and quality of life for large masses of population. However, agglomerations also give rise to problems, the complex solution of which requires understanding of the new historic content of the traditional economic and geographical categories, such as central places, connectivity, geographical framework, relations between the center and the periphery. From a practical point of view, this should be reflected in federal programs for development of the largest agglomerations, which now present the only opportunity to quickly solve their most acute problems and realize their development potential, which will also be transferred to development of the regions adjacent to them. Federal support for development of agglomerations — the central places of regions, on the one hand is realistic in the prevailing conditions of centralized state finances and lack of local resources. On the other hand, unlike federal programs that disperse funds throughout the region, such support will contribute to the self-development of regions in accordance with the nature of their participation in the national and global economies, since the organic development of cities and territories within economic influence of the agglomeration is latter's natural function.