Investigating urban form, and walkability measures in the new developments. The case study of Garnizon in Gdansk

Abstract

Sustainable transport choices are gaining much attention as they may support the global shift towards reducing the carbon footprint and developing more energy-efficient cities. The relation between urban form and sustainable transport has been discussed by academics and practitioners and there is a consensus that specific parameters of urban form can encourage walking and discourage car use. Following global recommendations on sustainable development, countries take steps towards strengthening pedestrian accessibility by implementing spatial characteristics of walkable neighbourhoods, but also by mobility and urban design strategies. This issue, however, is not properly recognised in countries with short experience in sustainable urban development, such as former socialist countries. In Poland no studies on walkability-related parameters of urban form have been carried out, hence the knowledge in this field is limited. This paper aims to address this gap by providing evidence of a newly built urban district located in Gdansk, Poland. We present the Polish case with three examples of new urban districts from Western Europe, that are designed as sustainable and walkable environments. The methodology is based on the descriptive case study. It includes characteristics of design parameters namely the components of the “walkability index” as well as mobility solutions and urban design guidelines. The results show the current position of Garnizon development in relation to the Western European cases with regard to the existing post-communist legacy and allow for indicating differences and possible shortcomings. Additionally, the study results can be discussed in the context of improving the quality of the housing environment in Poland through pedestrian-oriented development strategies.