The Impact of the Natural Environment on Urban Settlement in the Mountainous Regions of Azerbaijan

Abstract

The purpose is research into the patterns of the impact of the natural environment on the formation and development of urban settlement in the mountainous regions of Azerbaijan and the determination of principles for improving the structure of urban settlements. Materials and methods. Numerous cartographic materials were analyzed, and the following methods were used: systematic approach and analysis, comparative and statistical analyses, functional-typological, structural-morphological. Results and discussion. An assessment is made of the location of cities in mountainous regions and economic regions, and their grouping is carried out. In Azerbaijan in 2021, the urban population of mountain regions amounted to 23 %, of which the bulk lives in the Lesser Caucasus (73,5 %). Natural factors influencing the development of these cities, which have comfortable geographical, landscape and climatic conditions, are investigated. The formation of cities is influenced by favorable (forests, mineral springs, landscapes, natural and cultural-historical monuments) and unfavorable (seismicity, steepness of slopes, development of surface and groundwater, climatic conditions) factors. Population growth in cities, an increase in their areas and transformation leads to an increase in the density of the housing stock, deformation of the planning and morphological structure of the city occurs, and the ecological balance of the territories is disrupted.Conclusion. It has been revealed that the growth and formation of cities in mountainous regions occurs at a slow pace and a characteristic feature for most cities is a negative migration balance of the population.