Cities in the Settlement System of the Southern Far East: Selection of Research Tools

The choice of scientific research tools is an important and often nontrivial task, especially when the researcher focuses on complex objects. Settlement systems are certainly such objects. Simply choosing a well-known theory in this case will not always be the best option. In particular, W. Christaller’s central place theory is one of those concepts perhaps not ignored by most researchers of settlement systems. However, analysis of the limitations inherent in this theory in terms of its basic assumptions shows that the scope of empirical application of this theory is quite narrow. The specifics of the supporting framework of the settlement system of the Southern Macroeconomic Zone of the Far East (which has strung together most of the largest cities of the zone on a multihighway) described in this study in the most general terms determines the preferable use of the corridor approach. It seems that the corridor concept (together with its supporting concepts—axes of development, gateway cities, integration poles, etc.) has sufficient explanatory power for studying the development features of the given settlement system.