Content №1 от 2022
Modeling the Optimization of a School Network Amid Rural Depopulation (Case Study of Elabuzh District, the Republic of Tatarstan)
Given that rural settlement patterns actively transform due to a depopulating village network, agglomeration and urbanization processes, mass migration from suburbs and concentration of population in large cities, rural territorial systems demand to resolve the spatial organization of individual living environments. In particular, fewer residents and settlements render the educational system inefficient, both in terms of how much the educational process costs and how it is organized. In this regard, the issues of educational system logistics associated with optimizing schoolchildren’s transportation flows between settlements and planning the placement of social elements by territory are highly relevant.
The article analyzes the existing spatial organization of the educational system in rural areas of a municipality as illustrated by Elabuzh municipal district in the Republic of Tatarstan. Based on analytical study findings, we designed alternative models to organize a general educational system, which were then cross compared by performance indicators. The models built upon cluster formations with passenger turnover minimization have proved optimal; they allow us to determine the accommodation options with moderate costs and low transport load on the transported children. Another mechanism of traffic flows optimization is bound to developing the existing transport infrastructure so that a new level of the system’s spatial organization may become attainable. The results of this study can be applied in regional (municipal) management, forecasting and design, spatial and urban planning.
