Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are two leading countries of Central Asia, mutually beneficially cooperating in the field of cross-border tourism. In this study, the tourism potential of the border areas was determined on the basis of tourism infrastructure and settlement density data. The geographic coverage of the study included nine regions located within the limits of the Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border. We proposed the application of a rating assessment of the estimated tourism resource potential of Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border regions, which provides the basis for comparative analysis of tourism development and promising opportunities for the large territory. The method allows one to achieve an understanding of the availability and volume of tourist and recreational resources in order to assess the tourism potential in the Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border area in the framework of sustainable development. The study results generally allow the availability level of border region tourism resources to be determined and areas with more favorable and attractive conditions for cross-border tourism development to be identified.

The growth of a city causes a complex of problems related to the increase in the pollution of the urban environment and the shortcomings in its improvement. The territory of the modern city is characterized by the highest man-made loads on the natural environment. The main problems are the low level of green areas, as well as the reduction in trees in many areas, which does not allow the city residents to live comfortably. Currently, Earth remote sensing methods using the vegetation index (NDVI) are one of the dominant means of assessing the condition. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to assess the ecological condition of the green zone in the city of Aktobe. To solve this problem, complex assessment was carried out, including statistical data analysis and the processing of satellite images by calculation of the NDVI for green areas and their mapping. The article analysis lies in the field of development and landscaping of the urban environment of Aktobe. A description of the current state of the system of green areas in the city was provided. On the basis of the data of remote sensing of the earth, the spatial features of the separate classes of the total phytomass of green plants within the city of Aktobe and the spatial features of the territorial zones of the city were determined during the differentiation of green plantings. A study of the dynamics of changes in the vegetation cover index (NDVI) during 2010, 2016, and 2023 allowed us to identify trends in the development of green spaces and their changes over time due to city growth and other factors. The data obtained as a result of the research can be used in the justification of urban planning decisions, landscape planning of the ecological infrastructure of the city, and optimization of landscaping systems.

The study of the urbanization process by students of the educational program "Geography" in Kazakhstan is topical in the context of rapid urban development and evolutions in the geographical space of the country. Various key problems were revealed in the process of the studies such as the need for in-depth research of the theoretical foundations of urbanization, limited access to current data and no work experience on modern methods of data processing and analysis. An online survey was conducted on the basis of the Google Forms and the survey questions were worked out to have the further study of urbanization processes and update knowledge in this field. The study applied a data analysis method using the SPSS Base software package. This method provided the opportunities to structure and process the survey results among 331 teachers and master’s students. The approach ensured an accurate analysis and interpretation of the data which enabled to identify key trends and consistent patterns in respondents’ answers. The results point to both positive and negative conclusions based on the data. The conclusions were made on having evaluated the results with the help of SWOT analysis.

Keywords: green spaces, NDVI, level of greenness, urban environment, Aktobe