CLUSTER AS A DRIVER OF STABLE HISTORICAL SETTLEMENTS FORMATION

Abstract

The existing doctrine of ecological balance does not offer tools to work with existing historical territories, while the aspect of cultural ecology is principal for providing ethical stability of national and local communities. The article considers an ecosustainable approach to the design and revitalization of urbanized habitat. The hypothesis of the urban structures’ balanced development is formulated based on the analysis of ecovillages and ecotowns in European and worldwide practice. The authors make up a typological classification of sustainable settlements, which are compared with small historical towns by system features. The key task is to substantiate the propensity of small urban formations towards flexible comprehensive development. The work proposes the method of compositive cluster formation to combine the ideas of sustainability, urban integrity and economic efficiency.