Cities in the Settlement System of the South of the Russian Far East: Selection of Research Tools

The choice of scientific research tools is an important and often non-trivial task, especially when the scientist’s focus is on complex objects. Settlement systems are certainly such objects. A simple choice in favor of a well-known theory in this case will not always be the most correct option. In particular, W. Christaller’s theory of central places is one of those concepts that, perhaps, most of the researchers who studied settlement systems did not ignore. However, the analysis of the limitations inherent in this theory by its basic assumptions shows that the scope of empirical application of this theory is quite narrow. The specificity of the supporting framework of the settlement system of the Southern macroeconomic zone of the Russian Far East, described in the most general lines in this work (the ‘stringing’ of most of the largest cities in the zone on the multi-mainline route) determines the preferable use of the corridor approach. It seems that the concept of a ‘corridor’ (together with the concepts that support it – axis of development, gateway cities, poles of integration, etc.) has sufficient explanatory power for studying the features of the development of this settlement system