Peculiarities of formation of the suburban areas of the European cities. Great Britain

The article describes the main characteristics and world importance of the largest European urban agglomeration of Greater London as a global city, reveals the reasons for the evolution of London from a city to an agglomeration and a metropole as well as the problems of its development caused by globalization. The paper presents the urban-planning theories of the European researchers, models of ideal cities, which allowed solving the problems of unrestrained growth and contributed to the decentralization of London, the theories, which became the basis for the development of Great Britain capital suburban area in the early XX century, particularly, E. Howard's idea of the Garden City and its importance for the development of the European architectural school. The article describes modern urban ideas, practices and approaches to the formation of a sustainable living environment, based on the principles of self-sufficiency, respect for the environment, energy efficiency and digital technologies. The pilot project of Bioregional, the British company, which is an eco-village in south London, is presented.