The image of the Megalopolis in the context of the concept of neotechnical development by P. Geddes and L. Mumford.

The subject of the research is the image of the Megalopolis and its interpretation in the works of P. Geddes and L. Mumford. The image of the Megalopolis, on the one hand, is connected with the development of the utopian tradition in culture. On the other hand, it has a direct relation to the concepts of technogenic civilization and the idea of technical progress. The aim of the work is to examine the image of the Megalopolis in the context of the concepts of neo-technical development by leading urbanism and philosophy of technology theorists of the 20th century – P. Geddes and L. Mumford. The relevance of the topic under development is determined by its significance for understanding the patterns of modern urban development. The study of the image of the Megalopolis in the works of leading urbanists and philosophers of the 20th century is highly relevant for contemporary urban studies and urban planning, as solving the problems of modern city development largely requires studying them in a historical context. A comprehensive methodological approach was used in writing the article, combining hermeneutic interpretation of a number of concepts and terms from the philosophy of the city by P. Geddes and L. Mumford, exposition, as well as comparative analysis of the content of their works. The novelty of the research lies in the interpretations of the image of the Megalopolis in light of the concept of neo-technical development. While the issues of the Megalopolis in the works of P. Geddes and L. Mumford have been examined multiple times, relating it to the theory of transition from paleotechnology to neotechnology, formulated by P. Geddes and developed by L. Mumford, is innovative. The intensive growth of European cities that began during the industrialization era was subjected to thorough analysis in the philosophy of technology and urbanism of the 20th century. In the studies of P. Geddes and L. Mumford, very accurate forecasts were made that anticipated the most important trends in urban environment development and were confirmed in practice. Issues of modern urban planning, such as the rapid growth of metropolitan megalopolises and the desolation of peripheral cities, the problem of resource conservation in the process of renovation and gentrification of urban areas, can be addressed using the approaches proposed by P. Geddes and L. Mumford within the framework of the concept of the neo-technical city (ideas of "reconstruction," "practical economy," etc.). Therefore, the critical reflection on the image of the Megalopolis by these thinkers remains highly relevant in the context of modern urban planning strategies.

P. Geddes, L. Mumford, Megalopolis, neotechnics, paleotechnics, industrialization, urbanization, evolutionism in urban studies, new urbanism, philosophy of the city