INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL INEQUALITY IN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS REGIONS IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article addresses the issues of integral assessment of spatial inequality in transport infrastructure across regions in Ukraine and explores the role of transport infrastructure in regional development. To measure spatial regional inequalities and sectoral asymmetries, two sets of indicators were identified. The first set of indicators includes indicators reflecting spatial inequality, the other group characterizes the level of socioeconomic development of the territory. The study constructs a typology for transport spatial inequality and regional sectoral asymmetry using the ArcView GIS classification algorithm, where the integral index is the indicator for traffic load of the territory. According to the cluster analysis results, subject to the regional transport infrastructure level, the four clusters have been identified in Ukraine. Within the scope of the research, a map of Ukrainian regional transport infrastructure has been designed. A conclusion is made about the evidences of inequality manifestations in transport infrastructure development in Ukraine. The greatest effect is observed in the Eastern part of the country, since this region is characterized by the highest road density and traffic intensity. The findings point out other significant impact factors, in particular, the road network quality and its technical equipment, communication load, traffic flow patterns, vehicle speed, roadside development and greenery, etc. The proposed modelling algorithm to assess spatial inequality and regional and sectoral asymmetry of the Ukrainian transport infrastructure can be used to tackle the issues of transport infrastructure development as well as have important implications in the context of territorial planning.