Spatial modeling study reveals mismatches between administrative boundaries and service access across residential areas, indicating functional service regions cross official borders.
Key Points
To assess potential spatial accessibility to essential services and evaluate whether administrative municipal boundaries align with functional service hinterlands.
Analyzed nationwide geocoded datasets spanning all residential buildings in Czechia.
Calculated network-based travel distances from residences to key healthcare, educational, and leisure services.
Derived a service role typology and functional service regions to approximate everyday accessibility catchments.
Administrative boundaries fail to fully correspond with modeled geographic accessibility patterns.
Substantial shares of residents have shorter travel distances to essential services located outside their designated administrative district.
Certain small municipalities operate as meaningful service providers despite lacking higher administrative status.