Diagnostics of the transport and communication infrastructure in the economic space of Russia’s federal districts

Priority directions of the macroregions’ development outlined in the Strategy for spatial development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 with a forecast up to 2036 predetermine the need for an in-depth study of macroregions’ transport and communication infrastructure, which forms the general framework of the territory. The article aims to assess the functioning and development of the transport and communication infrastructure in Russia’s federal districts using the spatial-functional method. Methodologically, the research rests on the theories of spatial development and postulates of transport economics. The method consists of several stages, in particular, assessing the performance of transport and communication infrastructure’s functions in the economic space and calculating the corresponding composite indicator, as well as ranking and clustering procedures. The evidence is the data coming from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation for 2014– 2022. According to the findings, the Central Federal District is the absolute leader in the fulfilment of all functions of the transport and communication infrastructure. At the same time, the dynamics of figures reflecting the performance of individual functions is often higher in other macroregions, in particular, the indicators of the territorial function are growing faster in the North Caucasian Federal District, the Volga Federal District, and the Ural Federal District. Ranking and clustering of federal districts by the level of development, use and quality of functioning of transport and communication infrastructure expose its significant heterogeneity across federal districts, which entails a decrease in the level of their social and economic development. Public authorities in the subjects of the Russian Federation can benefit from the outcomes of this study while drawing up programmes for the development of transport and communication infrastructure