Urban Clusters: From the Conversion of Industrialism to the Conversion of Aggregation

Abstract

This article studies urban clusters and defines them as spatial phenomena. It investigates the late-industrial transition in a city’s economy, which is accompanied by a dispersion of production facilities. Corresponding changes in the territorial aspect, in theories described as part of the “spatial turn” in the sociology and anthropology of the city, lay the foundations for the formation of hybrid forms of urban organization. However, the use of a cluster in practice shows its methodological nature. It is argued that clusters have now become the reason for the transformation of industrial processes, so the formation of traditional clusters in space makes us think about the relevance of traditional forms of the economy.

During the evolutionary development of cluster theory, the duality of the cluster and its methodological potential were revealed. Criticism of modern terminology shows that the description of a cluster based on its features does not highlight its unique, essential characteristics as a tool, therefore a definition of an urban cluster is given based on the organization method. The article discusses the specificities of cluster impacts on towns of different scales and identifies how they are expressed in the fabric of the city. The case-studies make it possible to formulate the transformative capability of the cluster, draw conclusions about its innovative spatial essence, and consider the prospects for its use as a tool for urban development.