Districting As a Way of Possessing Space

Abstract

Districting is a means of continuous description and mapping of territory similar to classification and periodization; it connects space fragments with a narrative. The process of division is also called districting, and its result is a grid of areas that are connective and homogeneous, mosaic and zonal, individual and typological, etc. Cognitive districting is the mental conquest of space. Practical districting, which is the division of territory and waterbodies between owners or users, emerged long ago in the animal world. Human society is characterized by the transition from mobile methods (forays, hikes, expeditions, route description) to stable methods (occupation, bureaucracy, administrative-territorial division (ATD), and monitoring). The objectives of applied districting in Russia include improvement of ATD, functional zoning, rotational land use, and regional differentiation of laws, taxes and tariffs. Diverse districting is necessary for flexible regional policies and management.