Geoinformational analysis of transport accessibility conditions of rural territories of Volgograd region

The article deals with the assessment of transport accessibility of rural settlements. The main research methods are the geoinformation and cartographic methods. A transport accessibility factor implies the time spent on moving between villages and the center. The methodology proposed is based on two spatial levels: the district level, where the territory of mapping is the municipal districts of Volgograd region, and the object is rural settlements; the regional level covering the entire territory of the region. At the district level, the calculation and geoinformation analysis of the transport accessibility of villages in relation to district centers are made. As a result, it is identified that the territories are in different conditions of transport accessibility. 20.9% of the region's villages are located in favorable conditions (transport accessibility less than 30 minutes); 25.2% of villages are in less favorable conditions (transport accessibility 30-45 minutes); 53.9% ofvillages are in unfavorable conditions (more than 45 minutes). At the regional level in relation to Volgograd, there are three zones with a different degree of favorable transport conditions: a zone of time accessibility up to 2 hours with favorable conditions for economic development; a restrictedly favorable zone with time accessibility of 2-4 hours; and a zone of unfavorable economic influence with the time transport accessibility exceeding 4 hours. It is noted that 15 out of 33 districts of Volgograd region are in unfavorable conditions of transport accessibility in relation to the regional center. This is primarily determined by the size of the region's territory, the geographical location of Volgograd, the state of the road network, namely the presence of asphalt roads.The conclusion is drawn about the heterogeneity of the conditions for the provision of residents with services concentrated in the centers based on the uneven distribution of the conditions of transport accessibility. The authors give recommendations for the development of regional sub-centers of public service.