Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
1
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
A
BSTRACT
This article discusses the features of urban growth and the formation of their systems in the conditions of
independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the impact of political, economic and social changes
in the process of urbanization, classification and functional change of urban systems.
K
EYWORDS
City, urbanization, urban settlement, settlement, urban settlement, industry, social, economic
development, infrastructure.
Journal
Website:
http://sciencebring.co
m/index.php/ijasr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Research Article
FEATURES OF THE URBANIZATION PROCESS IN THE
REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Submission Date:
February 18, 2022,
Accepted Date:
March 03, 2022,
Published Date:
March 13, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijasr-02-03-01
Zulhumor T. Abdalova
PhD (Cand. Geo. Sci.), Associate Professor, The department of Economic and social geography, National
University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan
Nagima U. Yerbosinova
Undergraduate of the department of Geography and its teaching methodology, Tashkent State Pedagogical
University, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan
Jandos Kurbankulov
Undergraduate of the department, Geography and its teaching methodology, Tashkent State Pedagogical
University, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan
Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
2
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
I
NTRODUCTION
As you know, cities, being political, economic and
cultural centers, reflect the level of development
of the country's economy and urban life. The
development of the process of urbanization, the
growth of cities and the formation of urban
settlement are the result of historical, economic,
social development. During the years of
independence, the features of the development of
urbanization in the republic have been influenced
by political, economic and social processes,
which, in turn, have affected the growth of cities
and the proportion of the urban population, the
functional typology of cities and their
classification by size.
Currently, more than 34.5 million people live in
Uzbekistan, of which 17.5 million (50.7%) are
rural residents. Thus, in Uzbekistan, according to
1991 data, there were 119 cities and 115 urban
settlements, the total population of which was
836.6 thousand people, or 40.5% of the total
population. After the well-known decision on
some mitigations of the main criteria, urban
development in the republic (2009) began to
grow rapidly: there were 120 cities and 1067
urban-type settlements, where 50.1% of the total
population of the republic lives. This was due to
the transfer of 966 rural settlements to the rank
of urban settlements.
This decision directly affected the socio-economic
and demographic development of the country.
T
HE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS
As a result of this indicator, urbanization in the
republic immediately rose from 35.8% to 50.7%.
As of January 1, 2021, there are 1,187 urban
settlements in the country, of which 1,067
settlements, or more than 80%, are urban
settlements with a population of no more than
10,000 people. A significant amount of the
transfer of rural settlements to urban settlements
in the republic prevailed in all regions of the
Ferghana Valley, in Andijan, Fergana and
Namangan regions, which as a result led to a
sharp increase in the number of urban population
and the number of urban settlements. As can be
seen from Table. 1, the highest rates of the
proportion of the urban population are in the
regions of the Ferghana Valley.
As a result of the adopted resolution, the level of
urbanization in the republic was compared to the
world average, and on the other hand, the
transformation of rural settlements into urban
settlements, to a certain extent, was considered as
their development into potential centers of socio-
economic development for adjacent territories.
An analysis of the current state of urban
settlements in the Republic of Uzbekistan
revealed a number of social, economic,
environmental and other major problems that
hinder the development of urban settlement. The
results of studying the economic base of cities and
urban-type settlements have now revealed
significant differences in quantitative and
qualitative indicators. So, for example, an urban
Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
3
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
settlement may correspond in terms of
population, but differ in terms of employment. In
most urban-type settlements, employment of the
population is dominated by rural labor. Also, in
terms of quality indicators, in terms of the level of
industrial, social development and infrastructural
development, there are significant shortcomings
in many urban settlements of the country.
Modern problems of the urban settlements of the
republic are largely the result of the specifics of
the internal and external conditions for their
development, the natural and socio-economic
characteristics of each urban settlement. At
present, the development of urban settlements is
associated with the solution of such economic and
social problems as the economic development of
the country, state regulation of the distribution of
productive forces, the full and efficient use of
labor resources, and improving the standard of
living of the population of cities of various ranks.
One of the main strategic directions of reforming
Uzbekistan is the restructuring of the economy. In
the adopted Action Strategy for five priority areas
of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in
2017-2021, along with priority areas in the field
of reforming the state administration system,
improving the legislative framework, special
attention is also paid to the issues of integrated
and balanced socio-economic development of
regions, districts and cities, optimal and efficient
use of their potential, ensuring the integrated and
effective use of the natural, mineral, raw
materials, agricultural, tourism and labor
potential of each region by expanding the scale of
modernization and diversification of the economy
of the territories, accelerated development of
relatively lagging regions and cities, primarily
through increasing their industrial and export
potential.
Table 1.
Administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Uzbekistan (according to the data of 01.01.2021)
Territory
(thousand
km
2
)
District
s
Total -
cities
including,
Republican
and regional
subordination
Urban
settlements
Populatio
n by
region
The Republic
of Uzbekistan
448,97
175
120
32
1067
Republic of
Karakalpakstan
166,59
16
12
1
26
1990000
areas:
Andijan
4,30
14
11
2
79
352614
Bukhara
40,22
11
11
2
68
1924200
Jizzakh
21,21
12
6
1
42
136500
Kashkadarya
28,57
13
12
2
117
3213090
Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
4
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
Navoi
111,1
8
7
3
46
1000000
Namangan
7,44
12
8
1
115
2900000
Samarkand
16,77
14
11
2
88
4000000
Surkhandarya
20,1
14
8
1
112
2700000
Syrdarya
4,28
8
5
3
25
900000
Tashkent
15,25
15
16
7
95
3000000
Ferghana
6,76
15
9
4
197
3800000
Khorezm
6,05
11
3
2
56
1900000
Tashkent city
0,34
12
1
1
1
2700000
*
The table was compiled based on the materials of the statistical collection “Demographic Yearbook of
Uzbekistan”. Tashkent -2021.
Also, in the adopted development strategy, a
special role belongs to the active development of
small towns and urban-type settlements through
the creation of new industrial facilities and
service centers in them, the creation of small
industrial zones, the attraction of funds from
large economic associations, bank loans and
private foreign investment, further development
and modernization of production facilities, broad
development of private entrepreneurship and
improvement of living conditions of the
population, ensuring balance and sustainable
development of the national economy2.
The main factors of city formation in the republic
were: the performance of administrative
functions, the development of land and water and
mineral resources, as well as hydropower and
water management construction, industry and
transport, etc. According to the functional
typology, the cities of Uzbekistan can be divided
into the following types: -administrative centers,
cities with the primary importance of industrial
and transport functions, industrial and transport
centers, resource, as well as cities with the
primary importance of the organizational and
economic functions.
The size of the city in different historical periods
was determined ambiguously. To determine the
urbanization of the republic, the following
classification is most acceptable: "small cities" -
up to 20 thousand people, "semi-medium cities" -
from 20-50 thousand inhabitants, medium - 50-
100 thousand and large - 100 thousand or more.
“Small cities” with up to 20 thousand people
include 32 cities, “semi-medium cities” make up
49, the group of medium-sized cities includes 30
cities, large cities make up 7 with a population of
250 to 499.9 thousand people. Not a single city of
the republic is included in the rank of cities with a
population of 500 thousand to 1 million
inhabitants, and the only city of Tashkent is a
millionaire city with a population of more than
2.7 million people.
The second largest city in terms of population is
the ancient city of Samarkand, which for a long
time was the largest cultural and political center
of Central Asia, with a population of 493.0
thousand people, and the third largest city is
Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
5
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
Namangan with a population of 475.7 thousand
people.
One of the main problems in the development of
cities and their regional systems is the
strengthening of their production potential and,
above all, industry. Attracting foreign investment
for the development of large oil and gas fields in
the southwestern part of the country, mechanical
engineering in Andijan, Khorezm, Samarkand
regions, the creation of large textile enterprises in
Bukhara, Tashkent, Fergana, Namangan regions,
as well as the implementation of large investment
projects in all regions on the formation and
development of information and communication
infrastructure and improving the provision of
water to the population contributes to the
development of industry as a city-forming base
and the formation of the socio-economic
efficiency of urban settlement in general.
At present, the Free Industrial Economic Zone
(FEZ) "Navoi" and Special Industrial Zones in
Angren and Jizzakh have been created in the
republic, and it is also planned to create new
economic zones "Kokand" in the Fergana region,
"Urgut" in the Samarkand region, "Gijduvan" in
the Bukhara region and "Khazarasp" in the
Khorezm region, which will significantly affect
the territorial organization of productive forces,
the further development and improvement of
urban settlement and the accelerated socio-
economic development of the surrounding
regions.
The main factor in city formation is transport,
since the formation of urban settlements in
Uzbekistan was associated with the construction
of transport routes. During the years of
independence of the republic, in order to deepen
integration and develop international and
interregional relations, a large role is given to
attracting investments for the implementation of
transport projects related to the creation of
modern highways and railways. Thus, the Navoi-
Uchkuduk-Sultanuvaystag-Nukus and Tashguzar-
Baysun-Kumkurgan
railways
across
the
Kyzylkum desert were built and put into
operation, the construction of a new highway
eastward through the West Tienshyan Range,
connected with China, has begun, as well as
completed the construction of the Navoi airport
and the international logistics center in Angren.
The construction of these main routes contributes
to the improvement of both the external and
internal transport network, the use of the
opportunities of the adjacent territories, and
serves to form the supporting frame of settlement
and the impetus for the development of urban
settlements. And the most important importance
of the development of transport infrastructure is
reflected in the improvement of the geopolitical
and geostrategic position of the country.
C
ONCLUSION
An analysis of the study of the features and trends
of the urbanization process in the Republic of
Uzbekistan made it possible to draw the following
conclusions:
The adopted resolution on some mitigations
of the main criteria for town formation in the
Volume 02 Issue 03-2022
6
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
03
Pages:
1-6
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
METADATA
IF
–
7.356
republic (in 2009), led to the rapid growth of
urban networks and the size of the urban
population as a whole, but the transformed
settlements into small towns do not meet the
status of a city in terms of quality indicators;
Over the years of independence and in the
conditions of market relations, there have
been no significant changes in the growth of
cities and the formation of urban systems,
there is also a weak development in functional
development and classification by population;
One of the main problems of urban
development and the formation of urban
systems in Uzbekistan is the development of
production potential, social development and
the use of the economic potential of the
regions.
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