Suburbanization is a phase of the development of cities that consists in the growth of the suburban zone at the expense of the city center, which becomes gradually depopulated. The phenomenon of uncontrolled suburbanization (urban sprawl) causes infrastructural (including transport), environmental, social, economic, and legal problems. This paper presents the results of a study of the phenomenon of suburbanization conducted on the basis of vector data using two methods: one based on the use of a grid of primary square fields, and one based on the use of concentric zones/rings. The analyses were conducted in the surroundings of the Tricity agglomeration, which is located in the northern part of Poland on the Gulf of Gdansk, and covered the period from 2000 to 2018. Using a grid of primary fields, the areas of the greatest increase and decrease in the developed areas, irrespective of administrative boundaries, were determined for the selected periods, and the areas of the constant positive and negative balance of the buildings were identified. Using concentric rings, the process of the shifting of the new development zones was traced. The paper also refers to the route of the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway (PKM), which was commissioned in 2015, and its potential impact on suburbanization in the Tricity area. The results made it possible to trace the suburbanization process in time and space and to learn the advantages and disadvantages of the use of vector data in spatial studies.
Motives: For many years now, suburbanisation processes have been perceived as one of the most significant factors affecting changes in landscape structures. Numerous attempts are made to find appropriate methods and materials for a comparative analysis of land use changes in different periods of time and other indicators measuring the scale of this phenomenon. These studies result from the need to balance the suburbanisation process around the main service area of the Tri-City, the rapid pace of which causes development to enter areas that are not suitable for development due to environmental reasons. This implies the need for constant monitoring of this process. Aim: The study is an analysis of changes in land use patterns that took place in some rural areas surrounding the Tri-City agglomeration in the period of 2012–2018, and an attempt to assess how suburbanisation processes may be perceived in the light of the 1985 concept of the Gdańsk agglomeration development. The analysis covers selected rural areas located in the closest vicinity to the central housing zones of the Tri-City agglomeration and areas of rural characteristics located within the administrative borders of the cities. Results: Applying a synthetic indicator allowing to analyse convergence of structures made it possible to determine areas where the far-reaching changes are observed. The analysis covers some negative consequences of suburbanisation in relation to the natural environment, e.g. the unbalanced proportion between bioactive and built-up areas. In order to grasp current trends, the analysis refers to the data on the agglomeration development in the 1980’s. The methods of the research can be used in the analysis of other areas – regardless of administrative borders, for research where statistical data generalized at the commune level are insufficient.
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