Evaluation of Intracity Districts’ Separateness and Integrity (A Case Study of St. Petersburg)

Abstract

The territory’s isolation and integrity are recognized by jurists as criteria for determining the municipalities’ boundaries. Analyzing the geographic studies of the innercity territory morphology, territorial identity and the local communities development potential relationship, the authors come to conclusion that these criteria are not supplied with measurement methodology. As a result the studies are limited by extreme characteristics polygons. The article proposes a methodology for assessing of intracity territories’ isolation and integrity. Considering pedestrian links as the basis of intracity municipal communications, the authors develop a methodology based on the pedestrian graph, which makes more sensitive estimates comparing with transport methods. The indicators of isolation and integrity, as well as the integral indicator are calculated for the territorial units of St. Petersburg–administrative and municipal districts. The authors come to the conclusion that intracity district’s isolation and integrity are in a weak negative relationship with each other and are set by the urban settlement and development policy. According to the integral assessment, island administrative districts and peripheral municipal districts with the 1970s large quarter buildings demonstrate the greatest compliance with the isolation and integrity principles. The authors announce a study of the territory morphology influence on the local self-government development level based on the data presented in this article.