Some problems of coexistence of port’s and urban functions

The paper discusses the functional and spatial relations occurring in the transition zone, existing between a port and a city area. In order to identify and organize these issues, the determinants of the spatial development of port cities were discussed briefly, including inter alia: natural and historical conditions, spectrum of port’s transshipment, port’s transportation system, the ownership of a port and a port management model, the economic importance of a port for the city and region. The rest of the work describes a typical functional structures of coastal and sea-river port cities on the background of the concentric distribution of functions in a typical modern inland city. In the short resume some examples of the "good practice" in spatial management of port cities are given.