Application of gis technology and AHP to determine the areas with fully developed, compact functional and spatial structure: A case study of Bialystok, Poland

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to develop a method of identifying compact urban areas, which are characterized by a fully developed functional and spatial structure. Identification of such areas is a necessary element in studying the conditions and directions of spatial development in Poland. Moreover, the analysis of a development’s compactness and the availability of basic functions is a part of the model of urban policy promoting the concept of the compact city: well known in the world and only now being implemented in Poland. This paper uses GIS technology and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to propose a set of measurable criteria for the compactness of urban structures. Spatial analyses were performed considering the accessibility of selected objects and functions, the result of which is a series of maps presenting the categorization of the study area in terms of the level of development of a compact functional and spatial structure.