The thesis substantiates the necessity of researching Kharkiv city as an urban social and geographical system, revealing the human-geographical features of its functioning and developing recommendations for its improvement. The author's method of humangeographical research of the urban social and geographical system`s functioning is based on geographical, systemic, synergetic and historical methodological approaches; a combination of philosophical, general scientific, specific scientific and original research methods. The study used 2 information databases for various test periods (100 indicators - 2010-2016 for the study of the general features of the functioning of Kharkiv`s social and geographical system, 51 indicators – 2010-2015 for the study of the features of the functioning of district social and geographical systems as components of the Kharkiv's social and geographical system).
In the history of formation and development of Kharkiv city (1654-2017) can allocate 8 periods during which certain functions prevailed (defensive, administrative, industrial, capital, etc.). Today Kharkiv city is the leading industrial, cultural, educational, scientific and innovative, transport, tourist and recreational center of Ukraine, which occupies leading positions among other cities of the country. The use of factor analysis made it possible to distinguish infrastructural, demographic-educational, investment and economic-industrial factors of the functioning of Kharkiv`s social and geographical system. According to the results of cluster analysis, three groups of district social and geographical system are distinguished by the similarity of their functioning (group I - Kyivskyi and Shevchenkyi districts, group II – Moscovskyi districts, group III – other city districts). Simulation of the trajectory of functioning showed that the social and geographical system with progressive functioning include Kyivskyi and Shevchenkyi districts, with regressive functioning – Novobavarskyi and Nemyshlyanskyi districts. As a result of the comparison of the functioning of social and geographical systems of Kharkiv (Ukraine) and Katowice (Poland), it is justified that a more dynamic development is typical for Katowice because of intensive attraction of external resources. However, Kharkiv`s social and geographical system has better prospects for development due to a more powerful internal potential. On the basis of the component analysis, the main problems of functioning of Kharkiv`s social and geographical system for the main elements of the executive system are determined. The conducted research allowed to substantiate the main ways of solving the identified problems and develop recommendations for improving the functioning of Kharkiv`s social and geographical system.
