Assessment of comfort potential and prospects for environmental development of cities in steppe Russia using the index method

The paper describes the results of comfort potential assessment and prospects for development of urbanized geosystems in steppe Russia on the basis of constructed geoinformation index assessing potential for development of environmental comfort (CDPI). The index was calculated on various areas for technogenic geosystems, and the total area was represented by individual functional structures. The index was constructed as the ratio of existing and planned natural-anthropogenic components to the areas suitable for the expansion of green zones. For the first time, cartographic models were built, showing the spatial differentiation of urbanized geosystems. Index values, obtained for the studied objects (Simferopol and Rostov-on-Don), differ depending on planning structure development and topography of anthropogenic landscape. The index comfort indicators for the studied cities of Simferopol and Rostov-on-Don were characterized mainly by negative values. The highest index values were associated with urban areas in redevelopments of floodplain and terrace complexes, and also with small areas dispersed across local draw terraces.