Urban sprawl is generally defined as the urbanization of space adjacent to a city, which results from that city’s development. The discussed phenomenon involves land development, mainly agricultural land, in the proximity of cities, the development of infrastructure, and an increase in the number of residents who rely on urban services and commute to work in the city. Urban sprawl generates numerous problems which, in the broadest sense, result from the difficulty in identifying the boundaries of the central urban unit and the participation of local inhabitants, regardless of their actual place of residence, in that unit’s functional costs. These problems are associated not only with tax collection rights but with difficulties in measuring the extent of urban sprawl in research and local governance. The aim of this study was to analyze the applicability of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for monitoring urbanization processes, including the dynamic process of urban sprawl. Polish cities with county rights, i.e., cities that implement independent spatial planning policies, were analyzed in the study to determine the pattern of urban sprawl in various types of cities. Buffer zones composed of municipalities that are directly adjacent to the central urban unit were mapped around the analyzed cities. The study proposes a novel method for measuring the extent of suburbanization with the use of the CLC database and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The developed method relies on the overgrowth of urbanization (OU) index calculated based on CLC data. The OU index revealed differences in the rate of urbanization in three groups of differently sized Polish cities. The analysis covered two periods: 2006–2012 and 2012–2018, and it revealed that urban sprawl in the examined cities proceeded in an unstable manner over time. The results of the present study indicate that the CLC database is a reliable source of information about urbanization processes.
Abstract. The system of pedestrian urban space is the primary source of information on the state of the space. Walking around a city, we are perceptually building in our mind its physiognomic silhouette, which becomes the basis for evaluating the attractiveness of a city. Unfortunately, pedestrian traffic is rarely the subject of careful planning and design. Usually it regulates itself or is a side-effect of building an extensive system of road communication. On the other hand, concepts of shaping this system as a primary one appear more and more often, and pedestrian space is seen as high priority public space. The purpose of the article was to evaluate qualitative evaluation methods determining the current state of pedestrian pathways in the town Giżycko. Valuing quality, as a part of the science called qualimetrics, refers to determining the quality of objects which are the product of human activities, designed to meet the needs of human beings. At the root, it is a science relating to the determination of the quality of market items, supporting the production management process. As space, particularly urbanized, is created by people to satisfy their needs, it was concluded that quality valuation methods may also be useful to assess the quality of space. The article focuses on the quality of pedestrian routes that are essential to the central part of Giżycko. For these routes, the current state of the features identified as key for their quality was investigated, and quality classes of the routes were determined by analysis. The procedure can be a tool supporting the planning and implementation of modernization and renovation works for the area of pedestrian communication, and thus the image of the city.
Urban shrinkage has become a common feature for a growing number of European cities and urban regions. Cities in Europe have lost populations during the previous few decades, many of them in the post-communist countries. A similar phenomenon has been observed in smaller units: municipalities and villages. Shrinking towns/municipalities/villages grapple with insufficiently used housing infrastructure, a decrease in labor force, investment and in the number of jobs. This analysis examines the socio-spatial factors present in municipalities in the north-east of Poland, which are expected to experience the greatest population decrease by 2030. The study focused mainly on determinants with the greatest impact on the good life standards. It also sought to answer why the population growth forecasts for these units are so unpromising. The findings have shown that the majority of determinants adopted in the conceptual model describing the good life standards are below the reference values. The applied taxonomic measure of good life standards (TMGL) method allowed for identifying five municipality clusters representing “different speeds” at which these forecasts are fulfilled. Two clusters have dominant determinants in five criteria and three clusters, in two criteria adopted in the conceptual model. The findings indicate that approx. 35% of the municipalities under analysis have a chance for stabilization of the population size, provided local stakeholders take some targeted actions.
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