Nodal Region Concept in Geography and Related Sciences: Literature Review

The article traces the evolutionary trajectory of the views of geographers and representatives of related disciplines (sociologists, economists, urbanists) on nodal regions. The idea of a nodal region developed against the backdrop of industrialization of the economy and urbanization of society in parallel in several countries and scientific fields, taking shape in the period between the world wars. The first significant generalization of the emerging ideas was the central place theory. The term nodal region and the final formulation of the concept appeared in the 1950s owing to D. Whittlesey. Subsequently, in world geography, not only was the concept developed and disseminated, but the concepts of nodal and functional regions were confused, which persists to this day. Significant contributions to the theoretical development of the concept of nodal regions were made by A.K. Philbrick, P. Haggett, L.A. Brown, R. Simansky, J.L. Newman, P. Klapka, and M. Halas; in Russian geography, B.B. Rodoman substantiated the place of the nodal region in a more general typology. The concept of nodal regions has also been developed in Russian urban planning theories. Based on the review results, three directions for the development of the concept of nodal regions were identified: urban, economic, and taxonomic, as well as flow and nuclear approaches to defining a nodal region, which reflect the phenomenon of geographical concentration. The concept of a nodal region is constructive primarily as an analytical tool for solving spatial development problems.