摘要：The spatial connectivity of settlements within a regional settlement network is an essential component for the mobility of people and goods and consequently for a sustainable regional and economic development. A two-way correlation is established for the economic development of settlements and the development of the transportation network that serves them, both influencing each other. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the spatial connectivity degree of the Dobrogea settlement network and its impact on the local and regional development. The further assessment targets two major aspects of the transportation network that influence the economic development of settlements in Dobrogea. The first issue refers to the quality of the transport network and the second to the connectivity degree of the network. The analysis of the transport network in Dobrogea is also motivated by the existence of all types of transport modalities (road, rail, maritime, fluvial, intermodal), even if the analysis will take into consideration land transportation modalities. The present analysis uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) that allowed us to achieve a statistical modelling and computation of the connectivity indicators of the transport network in Dobrogea infrastructure. The changes in the degree of economic development of settlements in Dobrogea could be explained by the different values of spatial connectivity that appear in a specific area within the region. The paper provides a methodological approach to the evaluation of a regional transportation network and represents a first step in identifying its roles in the process of economic development of the Dobrogea settlement network.
