Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia

The quality of life in both urban and rural areas is highly dependent on the availability of services of general interest. This study examines the provision and accessibility of 41 types of point-specific services, divided into 10 categories, within the functional urban region of Zagreb, Croatia, ch...

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Main Authors: Ivan Šišak, Aleksandar Lukić
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1127
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author Ivan Šišak
Aleksandar Lukić
author_facet Ivan Šišak
Aleksandar Lukić
author_sort Ivan Šišak
collection DOAJ
description The quality of life in both urban and rural areas is highly dependent on the availability of services of general interest. This study examines the provision and accessibility of 41 types of point-specific services, divided into 10 categories, within the functional urban region of Zagreb, Croatia, characterized by a declining population, despite being the most populous area in Croatia. This study adopts a multi-service rather than a single-service research approach, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Using GIS composite indices for service provision and accessibility by car (cumulative opportunities) were calculated. Cluster analysis (Ward method, quadratic Euclidean distance) revealed seven different geographical patterns. The results show different patterns of service provision and accessibility throughout the urban region. Two specific areas were highlighted: traditional and inner peripheral areas with low levels of both service provision and accessibility, and suburban areas with very good accessibility but very poor service provision. The results of this study are particularly valuable as they relate to a single functional urban area that includes both urban, suburban and rural settlements of different types, a spatial framework that has not been sufficiently analysed in the literature.
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spelling doaj-art-cde64d1f233f4535bc85ba204d7d0ca12025-08-20T03:14:36ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-05-01145112710.3390/land14051127Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, CroatiaIvan Šišak0Aleksandar Lukić1Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaThe quality of life in both urban and rural areas is highly dependent on the availability of services of general interest. This study examines the provision and accessibility of 41 types of point-specific services, divided into 10 categories, within the functional urban region of Zagreb, Croatia, characterized by a declining population, despite being the most populous area in Croatia. This study adopts a multi-service rather than a single-service research approach, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Using GIS composite indices for service provision and accessibility by car (cumulative opportunities) were calculated. Cluster analysis (Ward method, quadratic Euclidean distance) revealed seven different geographical patterns. The results show different patterns of service provision and accessibility throughout the urban region. Two specific areas were highlighted: traditional and inner peripheral areas with low levels of both service provision and accessibility, and suburban areas with very good accessibility but very poor service provision. The results of this study are particularly valuable as they relate to a single functional urban area that includes both urban, suburban and rural settlements of different types, a spatial framework that has not been sufficiently analysed in the literature.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1127services of general interestservice provisionaccessibilityfunctional urban regioncluster analysis
spellingShingle Ivan Šišak
Aleksandar Lukić
Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
Land
services of general interest
service provision
accessibility
functional urban region
cluster analysis
title Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
title_full Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
title_fullStr Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
title_full_unstemmed Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
title_short Provision and Accessibility of Services of General Interest in Functional Urban Regions: The Case of Zagreb, Croatia
title_sort provision and accessibility of services of general interest in functional urban regions the case of zagreb croatia
topic services of general interest
service provision
accessibility
functional urban region
cluster analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1127
work_keys_str_mv AT ivansisak provisionandaccessibilityofservicesofgeneralinterestinfunctionalurbanregionsthecaseofzagrebcroatia
AT aleksandarlukic provisionandaccessibilityofservicesofgeneralinterestinfunctionalurbanregionsthecaseofzagrebcroatia