Supply of central functions for the population in the Nova Gradiška Area

The paper investigates central functions in the settlements in the Nova Gradiška Area and the commuting habits of the population towards cities outside the area to satisfy basic needs. Central functions were determined using desk methods and field survey, and they consisted of education, health services, supply, telecommunication, and self-government. The frequency, method, and direction of commuting habits were investigated using a questionnaire survey on a representative sample of the local population (for the basic functions of education, health services, supply, and culture). The research revealed a lack of adequate functions in the City of Nova Gradiška itself and the whole investigated area, which forces majority of the population to commute occasionally or regularly to other urban centres, particularly to Slavonski Brod and Zagreb, whose catchment areas overlap in this area, despite the difference in distance. The questionnaire survey proved that the main problem was not the number or type of functions but their quality, due to which some of the respondents preferred to commute to Zagreb, which had a higher perceived quality of services.