Assessment of Spatial Equilibrium in City Development as a Tool for Urban Decision Making (The Case of Saratov)

Abstract The notion of sustainable development is associated with the idea of balance. Balance may reflect to what extent the development level of area meets the sustainability requirements that are set by the UN Commission for Sustainable Development as indicators. Indicator systems are designed to the assessment of a city's condition in general and are used for the substantiation and selection of priority areas of development in many countries of the world, as well as they are a tool for spatial planning in urban development. Such indicators do not fully take into account the specifics of each settlement, and moreover, they may change from time to time. There is a need for an integrated list of criteria for a certain area and the examination of the possibilities for a regular balance assessment. In order to fulfill the above-mentioned tasks, the paper describes the main methods for area assessment and some groups of balance criteria are provided, as well as Russian and international cases of GIS system use by local self-governing authorities. The empirical part of the research consists of an assessment of the balance of the spatial development of the city of Saratov on the basis of a territorial and communication model and expert interviews.