Today, the transport problem is one of the most important for all megacities of the Earth. Each city is looking for its own way to solve this problem. Moscow is no exception. To choose the optimal solution, it is necessary to critically assess the experience of megalopolises that entered the automotive era before Moscow, and choose their solutions based on the realities and financial capabilities existing in the city.
Center, city, agglomeration
The largest cities in the world have historically developed according to one of three scenarios:
- development of a medieval walled city
- free expansion of the urban settlement to include the surrounding towns and villages
- planned (according to plan) development of relatively “young” cities.
The megalopolis formation process has significantly determined the current situation in the city. As a rule, cities that emerged from fortresses have a radial-ring structure, which significantly complicates the organization of traffic in such a city. In "compound" cities on a large territory, city quarters alternate with a large number of parks that have arisen in the place of fields and vegetable gardens. In planned developing cities, they strive to create an orthogonal street grid.
Large cities were formed over several centuries, gradually increasing the population and expanding the territory, which makes it possible to define in them several concentric zones surrounding the center. Conventionally, they can be named as follows: historical core => city center => city => metropolis => agglomeration.
Of the numerous large cities today, four global agglomerations are distinguished, which significantly determine life on Earth. They are naturally under the scrutiny of city planners. These are Paris, London, New York and Tokyo, representing different development paradigms and having their own specifics, characteristic of different regions of the Earth.
Moscow can also be classified as a global center both in terms of its characteristics and its influence on events in the world. To assess the place of Moscow among the leading cities of the Earth, it is necessary to compare the main characteristics of the world's megalopolises.
The work provides estimates, because the information of national and international organizations on the population of cities and their agglomerations varies significantly, which is closely related to various criteria and methods for identifying the boundaries of urban formations. These estimates can be obtained from information prepared by UN experts from World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision. - New York, 2008.
Paris is a typical city with a radial-circular planning structure. The historical center of the city is the island of Site, around which two nested "rings" have been created. The first of them is limited by the chain of Outer Boulevards - these are the old suburbs that entered the city limits in the 13th century. The second ring is the old industrial and residential quarters that became Paris in the 19th century. Both rings correspond to the official boundaries of the Paris department. It is framed by 7 highly urbanized departments, which together with the city form the Paris metropolitan area. Urban influence spreads further, forming the Parisian metropolitan area, the borders of which coincide with the Ile-de-France area. Table 1 shows data on the structural zones of Paris.
Table 1
| Structural zones | Boundaries | Area, km2 | Population, mln. |
| Historical core |
"Sacred oval" |
20 | 0,6 |
| City center | Paris Department | 105 | 2,3 |
| Town | Parisian metropolitan area within narrow borders | 460 | 6,6 |
| Megapolis | Parisian metropolitan area within wide boundaries | 1.2 thous. | 9,8 |
| Agglomeration | Paris district - Ile-de-France | 12.0 thous. | 11,6 |
London was formed as a result of the fusion of towns and villages along the Thames, which, having formed a single space, retained traces of individuality. As a result, the city has a polycentric character, the real boundaries of which are difficult to determine, and today there are several definitions of the city of London: City of London, London County, Greater London, London Post Office, London Telegraph District, London Transport District, etc. The following elements can be distinguished in the territorial structure of the city: the historical core - the City; Inner London, comprising 13 urban districts, and Outer London is a belt of old suburbs of 19 boroughs that together form Greater London. This historic development is surrounded by a ring of the Metropolitan Zone - new suburbs and satellite cities, separated by countryside. Greater London and part of the immediately adjacent territories of four counties form the London agglomeration, and including the entire belt (seven more counties) - the Metropolitan Area. Table 2 shows data on the structural zones of London.
table 2
| Structural zones | Boundaries | Area, km2 | Population, mln. |
| Historical core | City | 2,5 | 0,07 |
| City center | Inner London | 311 | 2,9 |
| Town | "Greater London" | 1.6 thous. | 7,4 |
| Megapolis | Greater London metropolitan area | 5.4K | 10 |
| Agglomeration | London metropolitan area | 11,4 | 17 |
Tokyo, like London, was formed as a result of the absorption of a number of neighboring cities by the capital of Japan. Today Tokyo is the center of a gigantic urban formation located on the shores of the bay of the same name and stretching for many tens of kilometers in the center of the island of Honshu. Officially, Tokyo is not a city, but a metropolitan area (special prefecture), which consists of 62 administrative units - cities, towns and rural communities. The core of this agglomeration is the three urban areas around the imperial palace. The central zone of the city is formed by 7 districts, around which there are 16 more districts. These 23 special districts form the "city proper" or Tokyo-Ku. Districts are equated in status to cities: each has its own mayor and city council. The Metropolitan Prefecture (Tokyo-To) is an urbanized area that stretches along the Pacific coast, approaching the inland mountain ranges. In addition to 23 municipalities, the prefecture includes 26 cities, one county and four counties, which together form the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (Greater Tokyo). The huge metropolitan area includes Tokyo, Yokohama and small towns surrounding them. Table 3 shows the data on the structural zones of Tokyo.
Table 3
| Structural zones | Boundaries | Area, km2 | Population, mln. |
| Historical core | Urban Areas Chieda, Chuo, Minato | 42 | 0,3 |
| City center | 7 central urban areas | 97 | 1,2 |
| Town | 23 special areas "Tokyo-Ku" | 622 | 8,7 |
| Megapolis | Greater Tokyo "Tokyo-Tou" | 2.2 thous. | 13,1 |
| Agglomeration | Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area | 13.6K | 35,2 |
New York is the youngest of the world's agglomerations: the first European settlement appeared here only in 1626. Since 1811, the city has been developing according to a master plan, the implementation of which has made it possible to create an orthogonal grid of streets and avenues in the city center. Europeans immediately realized the effectiveness of locating a port city here, which began to grow rapidly, occupying almost the entire island of Manhattan. As a result, New York lacks a distinct historical core. The very concept of New York is ambiguous, denoting territories of a completely different scale. This is New York County, which coincides with the metropolitan area of Manhattan, and the city itself - New York City, which includes, in addition to Manhattan, four more districts (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Richmond), and the so-called urbanized area of Greater New York. and the metropolitan area of Greater New York. Table 4 shows the data on the structural zones of New York.
Table 4
| Structural zones | Boundaries | Area, km2 | Population, mln. |
| Historical core | |||
| City center | Manhattan | 60 | 1,4 |
| Town | New York city | 781 | 8,2 |
| Megapolis | Greater New York | 7.3K | 16 |
| Agglomeration | Metropolitan New York | 9.2 thous. | 18,7 |
Moscow, like Paris, is a typical example of a radial-ring structure characteristic of cities whose development began in the Middle Ages. The central point in the city can be distinguished - the Moscow Kremlin - a small urban structure with an area of 28 hectares, with its own driveways, squares, parks and many buildings. However, today only the soldiers of the Presidential Regiment can be considered permanent residents here. The Kremlin walls are the innermost Moscow ring. The first city belt is the area of the medieval settlement located at the walls of the Kremlin. Its borders (the second ring) run along the former Kitaygorodskaya wall, which is formed by Kitaygorodsky lane, Staraya, Novaya, Lubyanskaya, Teatralnaya, Manezhnaya and Borovitskaya squares and the streets and driveways connecting them. Further, there are the Boulevard, Sadovoe and Tretye Transport Ring (TTK), the Small Circle Railway and the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD). Thus, 7 rings can be counted from the city center to its border today. The ring structure can be traced far beyond the city limits: at a distance of 65 - 150 km from the city center there are: the 335-kilometer Moscow small ring (betonka), as well as the Big Moscow circular railway and "Big betonka" (Moscow big ring), both the rings are more than 550 km long, although they do not repeat each other.
The administrative-territorial division of the city does not coincide with its circular structure. So, out of 125 districts of the city there are 19 (15%) outside the formal city border (MKAD), and all 10 districts of the Central Administrative District are located both inside and outside the Garden Ring. Today, the historical center (core) of Moscow is the territory inside the Garden Ring. The central zone of the city is formed by the Central Administrative District, the outer border of which is close to the Third Transport Ring. The city itself is located inside the Moscow Ring Road.
The metropolitan region, except for Moscow, includes more than 50 cities, including 14 with a population of over 100 thousand people. The Moscow agglomeration differs significantly from other global agglomerations - the population is concentrated mainly in cities stretching along the railways radially departing from Moscow, forming a multi-ray star. In Europe and North America, large cities surround cities and towns where people live in private homes. These suburbs occupy large areas, evenly built up with low-rise buildings. As a rule, people get to the city center by car or by suburban train along the numerous roads. The Moscow agglomeration can be conditionally divided into two suburban zones, sequentially surrounding Moscow - near and far, located at a distance of up to 45 - 50 km and up to 50 - 70 km from the center of Moscow, respectively. 4.1 million people live in the near suburban belt of Moscow. Among its many cities and towns, large (more than 100 thousand inhabitants) cities can be distinguished: Balashikha (population - 215 thousand people), Khimki (207), Korolev (184), Mytishchi (173), Lyubertsy (172), Odintsovo (139), Zheleznodorozhny (132), Krasnogorsk (117). The population of all cities and towns is about 2.9 million people. The near suburban belt also includes 14 districts of various districts of Moscow and Zelenograd, which is a district of Moscow, in which 1.16 million Muscovites live. The entire Moscow agglomeration (except for Moscow) includes 14 districts of the Moscow region (2 of them partially), 29 urban districts. Daily commuting between Moscow and settlements located in the suburban zones is more than 1 million people. Table 5 shows data on the structural zones of Moscow.
Table 5
| Structural zones | Boundaries | Area, km2 | Population, mln. |
| Historical core | Inside the Garden Ring | 19 | 0,232 |
| City center | CAD | 66 | 0,76 |
| Town | Inside the Moscow Ring Road | 890 | 10,36 |
| Megapolis | First suburban belt | 4.5 thous. | 14,4 |
| Agglomeration | Moscow agglomeration | 13 thous. | 17 |
Note. Data on the population of Moscow and its suburbs are taken from the preliminary results of the 2010 census.
Five world capitals represent three main development scenarios: Paris and Moscow with a pronounced radial-ring structure formed around medieval fortresses, which gradually expanded, surrounding themselves with more and more defensive structures. The insular London and Tokyo, separated from the continent by the seas and, as a result, from the danger of raids, grew without city walls by absorbing the surrounding cities, towns, and villages. Some of them have still partially retained their autonomy. Young New York developed according to plan, taking into account the requirements of convenient access to different areas.
People, houses, boulevards
The main thing that attracts people to megacities is the possibility of applying labor in various fields of activity for all family members. And it's easier to create a family here. In other words, a big city gives a person more opportunities for self-realization. Megalopolises attract people, increasing in size. As a result, today they have stretched out over great distances and in order to get to the right place it is necessary to overcome tens of kilometers, which is possible only using transport. Therefore, the inhabitants of big cities "merged" with their cars, forming new centaurs.
Summary tables 6 - 8 make it possible to assess the urban planning characteristics of Moscow among the world capitals.
Table 6
| Structural zones | Area, km | |||||
| Paris | London | Tokyo | New York | Moscow | Average | |
| Historical core | 20,0 | 2,5 | 42,0 | 19,3 | 21,0 | |
| City center | 105,0 | 311,0 | 97,0 | 60,0 | 66,0 | 116,1 |
| Town | 460,0 | 1 579,0 | 621,7 | 781,0 | 890,0 | 866,3 |
| Megapolis | 1 200,0 | 5 400,0 | 2 187,7 | 7 300,0 | 4 500,0 | 4 117,5 |
| Agglomeration | 12 000,0 | 11 400,0 | 13 600,0 | 9 200,0 | 10 000,0 | 11 240,0 |
Table 7
| Structural zones | Population, million people | |||||
| Paris | London | Tokyo | New York | Moscow | Average | |
| Historical core | 0,60 | 0,01 | 0,33 | 0,23 | 0,3 | |
| City center | 2,30 | 2,90 | 1,20 | 1,40 | 0,76 | 1,7 |
| Town | 6,60 | 8,10 | 8,65 | 8,20 | 10,36 | 6,7 |
| Megapolis | 9,80 | 10,00 | 13,10 | 16,00 | 14,40 | 11,1 |
| Agglomeration | 11,60 | 17,00 | 35,20 | 18,7 | 17,00 | 19,4 |
Table 8
| Structural zones | Population density, people / ha | |||||
| Paris | London | Tokyo | New York | Moscow | Average | |
| Historical core | 300,0 | 28,0 | 77,6 | 120,2 | 131,5 | |
| City center | 219,0 | 93,2 | 123,7 | 235,3 | 115,2 | 157,3 |
| Town | 143,5 | 51,3 | 139,2 | 105,0 | 116,4 | 111,1 |
| Megapolis | 81,7 | 18,5 | 59,9 | 21,9 | 32,0 | 42,8 |
| Agglomeration | 9,7 | 14,9 | 25,9 | 20,3 | 17,0 | 17,6 |
The transport situation in the city is influenced by three main factors:
- population density in different zones of the city
- the number of cars in the city and their number on the roads at a particular moment (first of all, during rush hours)
- the size and quality of the road network (UDS).
As can be seen from Table 8 and Graph 1, the population density in Moscow, with one exception, is less than the average values for world capitals in all zones of the city. And only in the city the population density of Moscow is higher than the average, however, by only 4.8%.
The low population density in Moscow is associated with the main tenet of the construction of city blocks - a large area of courtyards, strict requirements for the size of the courtyard for each resident. With this approach, even with an increase in the height of construction, the population density does not increase significantly. The second feature of Moscow is the presence of numerous squares and small parks that are scattered throughout the city. Low density increases the distances that need to be traveled from point A to point B, requires the construction of a large number of roads, "detains" many cars on the streets and highways.
Other capitals have a different development paradigm - dense residential areas and large parks. Suffice it to recall the parks of London, Paris or New York's Central Park with an area of 340 hectares. These parks do not "generate" traffic flows - the highways laid along them, which do not have intersections and do not require junctions, channel a large flow of transit vehicles passing along their borders.
to be continued
R. Wall
