THE PRINCIPLES OF CLUSTERING OF DEPRESSED URBAN AREAS

The transition to the post-industrial era has become a test for towns with a traditional organization of production, posing the problem of the formation of depressed areas in an urbanized environment. The emergence of "foci of depression" complicates the modern spatial and functional development of cities of various sizes and requires methodological understanding. Based on the methods of urban planning analysis, case analysis and assessment of local potentials, the article reviews projects for the cluster transformation of port and industrial areas of a large city, a small historical city and a developing territory. As a result of the study, the authors identify the principles of cluster development of urban areas, and also suggest possible strategies for improving clustering methods. According to the authors, the study should contribute to the systematization of the experience of the so far chaotic formation of cluster structures and the subsequent development of universal strategies for various types of urban formations as objects of the new world economic system