Ilościowe i jakościowe przemiany sieci ulic w przestrzeni geograficznej Nowego Miasta – historycznej jednostki morfologicznej Łodzi

Abstract

This article analyses the historical transformation of the New Town streets, a historic morphological unit of Łódź designed in the early 19th century. The research is based on a detailed study of historical cartographic materials, contemporary geodetic data and the use of GIS to compare the changes in the area occurring over nearly 200 years. First, the origins and layout of the area’s early urban pattern are illustrated. Then, the process of changes that has taken place in this part of the city up to the present day is shown. The study involved a reconstruction of the streets in retrospective terms, taking the contemporary street grid as the first period. The archival city plans served as the basis for the identification of those parts of the historic district that survived unchanged as well as the areas that went through major transformations with their following consequences. The analysis is spatial in character—quantitative and qualitative. What is discussed are changes that have occurred in the geometry of the street network and in their naming. Reference was made to the geographic environment and social, economic and political aspects. The impact of systemic and political changes on the choice of street names was noted.