Medium-sized City In Poland Research Articles

Understanding the Relationship between Urban Form and Urban Shrinkage among Medium-Sized Cities in Poland and Its Implications for Sustainability

Understanding the Relationship between Urban Form and Urban Shrinkage among Medium-Sized Cities in Poland and Its Implications for Sustainability

Digital tools for knowledge exchange and sustainable public food procurement in community kindergartens: A case study in Słupsk, Poland

This article presents a case study on the experimental co-creation process of a digital platform supporting Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) in public kindergartens in a medium-sized city in Poland. The organisation of SPFP requires a dedicated technological infrastructure to ensure the information flow among food producers, kindergarten employees, children and parents. To this end, a digital platform was designed to enable contact, assessment of food quality and food procurement environmental impact, and the communication of needs and problems among all the actors involved in the food procurement system for kindergartens. The article also discusses the results of the field research and the method of Urban Living Labs, highlighting the key challenges faced by those seeking to combine knowledge about food and the natural environment with public food procurement. The principal difficulties include the availability, accessibility and possible application of data on the environmental costs of food production, the individualisation of needs and motivations related to public catering in educational facilities, and the specific nature of the public sector responsible for public food procurement.

Understanding housing preferences and challenges of older adults in Kalisz, Poland

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the demographic, economic, and social factors that influence the housing demand of older adults in Kalisz, Poland, and assess their preferences and challenges in meeting their housing needs. Methodology: A quantitative survey was conducted among individuals aged 50 and above in Kalisz. The survey questionnaire covered various aspects, including current housing conditions, housing preferences, knowledge of senior housing options, and willingness to relocate to such housing. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Results: The findings revealed that while most respondents were satisfied with their current housing situation, they acknowledged the need for housing options tailored to older adults. However, there was a lack of interest in relocating to designated senior housing due to concerns about affordability, accessibility, and amenities. Respondents expressed a preference for independent living arrangements with access to medical, care, and rehabilitation services. Theoretical contribution: The study contributes to the understanding of the housing needs and preferences of older adults in the context of a medium-sized city in Poland. It highlights the importance of considering demographic shifts and adapting housing policies and urban planning strategies to meet the diverse requirements of an aging population. Practical implications: The findings can inform policymakers, urban planners, and housing developers in designing and implementing housing solutions that cater to the specific needs of older adults, ensuring accessible, affordable, and supportive living environments. The study also emphasizes the need for public awareness and education regarding senior housing options.

Impact of Traffic Flow Rate on the Accuracy of Short-Term Prediction of Origin-Destination Matrix in Urban Transportation Networks

Information about spatial distribution (OD flows) is a key element in traffic management systems in urban transport networks that enables efficient traffic control and decisions to redirect traffic to less congested sections of the network in emergencies. With the development of modern techniques of remote sensing, more and more advanced methods are used to measure traffic and determine OD flows. However, they may produce results with different levels of errors caused by various factors. The article examines the impact of traffic volume and its variability on the error values of short-term prediction of the OD matrix in the urban network. The OD flows were determined using a deep learning network based on data obtained from video remote sensing devices. These data were recorded at earlier intervals concerning the forecasting time. The extent to which there is a correlation between the size of OD flows and the prediction error was examined. The most frequently used measure of prediction accuracy, i.e., MAPE (mean absolute percentage error), was considered. The analysis carried out made it possible to determine the ranges of traffic flow rate for which the MAPE stabilizes at the level of approximately 6%. A set of video remote sensing devices was used to collect spatiotemporal data. They were located at the entrances and exits from the study area on important roads of a medium-sized city in Poland. The conclusions obtained may be helpful in further research on improving methods to determine OD matrices and estimate their reliability. This, in turn, involves the development of more precise methods that allow for reliable traffic forecasting and improve the efficiency of traffic management in urban areas.

Local housing strategies in Poland as a tool to develop social and affordable housing: barriers for development

Polish municipalities need to align with the trend of social housing development, expanding beyond public housing providers. The paper seeks to diagnose the barriers to developing well-defined housing strategies at the local level in Poland. Based on existing housing strategies of some Polish municipalities and the experience gained during work on a housing strategy for a medium-sized city in Poland, the following impediments were identified: a lack of robust demographic data, insufficient housing inventories, and a need for skilled experts and guidance for structured strategies. Given the impending EU investments in housing, local strategies gain significance, particularly in crisis-affected cities. The forthcoming financial aid for social housing amplifies the necessity for well-crafted housing strategies in Poland.

Adapting the compact city model in planning new areas of medium-sized cities. From competition concepts to local development plans, on the examples of Tczew and Stargard

The article presents the possibilities of concretizing the idea of the compact city for new urban development areas in medium-sized cities in Poland, on the basis of author’s experience with winning competition concepts and local development plans developed on their basis. The presented examples are: New Urban Centre in Tczew, on a post-military site, and residential areas in Stargard. The work presents a reflective examination of one’s own design and planning practice. The methodology used is research by design – linking design and research processes in order to obtain new knowledge about a given space. The underlying methodological model assumes a cycle of analysis, design and synthesis. The starting point was an analysis of conditions on the basis of background materials, maps and field observations, which made it possible to specify the key elements for shaping the new structure. Analyses made it possible to concretize design assumptions and develop concepts; the synthesis and verification of which was the development of local plans, in accordance with the possibilities available under the planning technique. The analysis indicates that the compact city model, key in context of sustainable development, nevertheless requires an individual approach when adapting to local conditions. The presented initiatives from medium-sized cities in Poland offer a number of practical tips, including: the use of competitions to determine the future development vision and the verification of competition assumptions within a wide range of conditions. Planning provisions should take into account the diversity of public spaces, securing green spaces, and promoting sustainable mobility. In the context of recent amendments to the Polish Law on Spatial Planning (2023), although there is no formal strengthening of urban design in the planning process, there is a growing popularity of the idea of the compact city. Therefore, there is a need to improve methods of shaping urban structure, especially using pre-design studies and during design. The findings presented here can contribute to improving planning practices and effectively implementing the idea of the compact city in locations in medium-sized cities.

Non-political Factors of Multi-term Incumbency in the Governance Process of Staying in Power in Poland. Selected Cases of Mayors

Acquiring and retaining of power is one of the main research areas in political science. Multi-term has been the subject of numerous analyses in the field of political science. The authors of this article have chosen to explore this area interdisciplinarily – in socio-economic terms. The aim of this article is to explore the potential links between multi-term incumbency and selected non-political factors that may be important in the process of managing mayors’ Staying in power. The main research question corresponds closely to the aim of the article, and the specific research questions are: are there relationships between mayoral multi-term incumbency and factors such as own income, investment expenditure and unemployment? Furthermore, in the process of managing staying in power, do governors use tools related to the so-called “political business cycle”? In this study, the comparative method and elements of the quantitative method – to analyse structure and dynamics – were applied; a comparison of the selected factors was made in 13 selected medium-sized cities in Poland, where the mayor has been in power continuously since at least 2002. The analyses carried out show that the cities’ own income co-varies with multi-term incumbency in the surveyed units, while investment expenditure and unemployment levels are unrelated to the mayors’ staying in power. In addition, the authorities were unlikely to use tools linked to the political business cycle.

Child Participation in Early Childhood Education from the Perspective of Female Students Specialising in Preschool and Early Childhood Education

This article addresses the subject matter of child participation in decision-making, events and social or civic activities at the early childhood education stage from the perspective offemale students at a Polish university. This study aimed to explore and analyse the opinions of female students preparing to become teachers for grades 1–3 in primary school, focusing on their perspectives regarding child participation while utilising Roger Hart’s “Ladder of Children’s Participation” concept. In this qualitative study, a semi-directed, problem-oriented focus group interview was conducted, followed by a content analysis of the data obtained. Female students at a large university in a medium-sized city in Poland were invited to participate in the study. The study depicted that they equated theprocess of developing skills related to participation, understood as involvement in society,with formal education. Their responses were dominated by approaches related to full participation, while other views indicated a lack of confidence in implementation of full participation at the early childhood education stage. These concerns, inter alia, include the presumed lack of developmental readiness of children, as well as the requirements that prevent the creation of a participatory environment (compulsory core curriculum). As the analysis of the study programme of future female teachers, conducted as a context, has shown, issues related to child participation have been dealt with marginally, which needs to be corrected.

Seniors' housing preferences in medium-sized cities in Poland

Purpose: The paper investigates senior citizens' housing preferences and needs in medium-sized Polish cities, aiming to inform sustainable housing development strategies that cater to an ageing population. Methodology: Utilizing a questionnaire survey, the study engages a representative group of seniors and pre-seniors within the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship to gather data on their housing conditions, preferences, and expectations. Results: Findings reveal a significant demand for housing adapted to seniors’ needs, with preferences leaning towards dwellings without architectural barriers and including essential services. The research highlights the discrepancy between current living conditions and the ideal housing situation for seniors. Theoretical Contribution: This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban development by emphasizing the importance of integrating senior citizens’ housing preferences into planning and policy-making processes. Practical Implications: The study offers valuable insights for real estate developers, urban planners, and policymakers, suggesting the need for a diversified housing market that includes options tailored to the elderly, potentially influencing future housing policies and market offerings.

Internalizing and Externalizing Disorder Levels among Adolescents: Data from Poland.

This article concerns internalizing and externalizing behaviors among Polish adolescents attending primary schools in a medium-sized city in Poland. The aim of the study was to examine the levels of select problem behaviors (i.e., depression, withdrawal, somatic complaints, aggressive behaviors, delinquent behaviors, thought problems, and internalizing and externalizing disorders) in early adolescence. Another important aim was to establish the ranges of the norm and deviation which would indicate the need for intervention aimed at internalizing and externalizing disorders in the sample. The relationships between variables such as age, gender, and school achievement (grade average) and the groups of problem behaviors and externalizing and internalizing disorders were also examined. To diagnose the occurrence of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, a sample of 550 students (55.3% girls, 46.7% boys) were measured using the Youth Self-Report (YSR) questionnaire. The results showed statistically significant differences in internalizing and externalizing behaviors between boys and girls. Girls achieved higher scores on most of the YSR scales, including internalizing and externalizing disorders, as well as on the total score. The student subgroup scores were also differentiated in terms of age and their average grades. The results also have practical implications; namely, the need for obligatory screening tests of students' emotional states; encouraging preventive measures in schools, including diagnosis and psychological support in the context of depression; monitoring aggressive behaviors and social problems, both in boys and girls; and implementing universal, selective, and indicated prevention through complex, empirically validated educational-therapeutic programs.

Determinants of Professional Success – About the Beliefs of Primary School Students

The paper focuses on the issue of professional success and its perception. The study, carried out using the diagnostic survey method, covered 1099 respondents – students atprimary schools, residing in a medium-sized city in Poland. It solved the following research problems: How do youth perceive life and professional success? What associations do male and female students of primary and secondary schools have about post-primary education(vocational/trade school, technical vs. comprehensive school)? What educational pathways do students perceive as prestigious and not prestigious, as enabling professional success and preventing the same? Which professions do students at primary schools perceive as prestigious and non-prestigious? What, in young people’s opinion, are the conditions conducive to professional success? What is the youth’s self-esteem in terms of opportunities to achieve professional success? How do selected socio-demographic characteristics differentiate the perception of professional success, its determinants, and self-esteem concerning the chances of achieving it? An alarming fact is that the beliefs of nearly half the students from the present research sample appear to be that to achieve success, it is necessary to have connections or luck. This arouses concern because, in the expectation of chance, luck (in case of lack of connections) students may adopt a passive attitude inthe context of creativity and in fact “moving forward (without their active participation)” in their educational and professional careers.

Estimation and prediction of the OD matrix in uncongested urban road network based on traffic flows using deep learning

In this article, we propose a new method for OD (Origin–Destination)​ matrix prediction based on traffic data using deep learning. The input values of the developed model were determined based on data on the structure of the road network, origin and destination points of trips, as well as data on traffic intensity on road network sections recorded by video-sensing devices. The advantage of the method is that the complex process of data acquisition and processing is not required for the estimation and prediction of the matrix. Historical data and the iterative method of estimating a prior OD matrix were used only to generate training sequences for the neural network. The proposed method using deep learning neural networks with the long short-term memory (LSTM) or autoencoders layers (DLNa — deep learning networks with autoencoders) is characterized by relatively high accuracy and resistance to temporary missing data from several measurement points located in the urban road network. The case study was conducted for a network of a medium-sized city in Poland. The results show (average MAPE = 7.18% (LSTM), 6.80% (DLNa)) that the proposed method can have a practical implementation in real-time dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) systems for ITS applications. The proposed method of short-term forecasting the OD matrix does not require questionnaire research or detailed information on spatial development. Therefore, it is not as expensive and time-consuming as the methods based on these data.

A City for People in the Light of Studies on Urban Stress: Case Study of a Medium-sized City in Poland - Zduńska Wola

Alarming data revealing the poor quality of the urban environment as well as international documents calling for urban policies to be re-orientated towards more sustainable growth (e.g., IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2022) force greater integration and deepening of the existing urban studies, as well as promote the initiation of new research. This paper focuses on the perception of urban stress in contemporary cities and towns and on identifying factors that produce it. The case study features a deliberately selected town of Zduńska Wola, from the Łódź Voivodeship in Poland. The thesis proposed in this paper reads: Contemporary towns and cities, including Zduńska Wola, generate urban stress that is experienced by its residents. Significant aspects of this work deal with the specification of differences in the interpretation of urban stress factors. Based on the study of the literature on the issue of stress, it appears that among the most often listed stressors are the ones connected with the condition and quality of the environment, which was confirmed by opinions expressed by inhabitants of Zduńska Wola (more than 70% of respondents mentioned pollution as a stress factor). Interestingly, our questionnaire-based studies revealed that commuters to the city reported higher levels of perceived stress caused by neglected urban space, than permanent residents.

The role of participation in the development of the smart city idea: frameworks, opportunities, mechanisms

The progressing urbanisation process and its visible effects are prompting local authorities to seek new solutions to contemporary development challenges, especially those identified in post-socialist cities, including in Poland. Nowadays, the smart city concept is becoming widely popular. This idea is grounded in the principles of sustainable development in all spheres of socio-economic life. However, in a comprehensive approach, it moves away from its strictly technological definition towards the social context and local conditions. Nowadays, there are more and more instruments supporting social and civic activity of the inhabitants of Polish cities. One extremely popular mechanism is the participatory budget. In order to trace its importance in the implementation of the smart city concept, an empirical analysis was undertaken in Bydgoszcz (a medium-sized city in Poland). According to the research, the participatory budget is asymmetrical, with infrastructure investments dominating. Support is needed for pro-social activities and those activating residents. Therefore, the diversification of projects in the budget, including setting aside a pool of funds for pro-social and cross-district projects, should be viewed in a positive light.

Carpooling and the reduction of urban traffic

The article presents the results of research that quantitatively confirm the well-known thesis on the impact of carpooling (measured by the declared carpooling indicator, DCI) on a significant reduction in the intensity of urban traffic flows. Of course, it is about joint journeys by passenger cars, which (especially in medium-sized and large cities) are an important source of transport congestion, and the connection with the intensity of traffic is obvious. The working hypothesis was verified by conducting observations and measurements in the central area of a medium-sized city in Poland. It is the city of Radom, 100 km south of Warsaw, with a population of 215,000. residents. To verify the hypothesis, the average daily traffic volume, ADTV were compared with the average reduced average daily traffic volume, RADTV. These were determined - by simulating carpooling, in which the main control variable (although not the only one) was the indicator, DCI, i.e. the number of additional passengers in a passenger car. It turned out that RADTV values decreased significantly (therefore congestion decreased) when DCI values increased. This is illustrated by the DCI - RADTV dependence graphs for different days of the week and different measurement locations. This relationship was confirmed by calculating the Spearman’s rank correlation index between the DCI and RADTV variables.

Prediction of Electric Buses Energy Consumption from Trip Parameters Using Deep Learning

The energy demand of electric buses (EBs) is a very important parameter that should be considered by transport companies when introducing electric buses into the urban bus fleet. This article proposes a novel deep-learning-based model for predicting energy consumption of an electric bus traveling in an urban area. The model addresses two important issues: accuracy and cost of prediction. The aim of the research was to develop the deep-learning-based prediction model, which requires only the data readily available to bus fleet operators, such as location of the bus stops (coordinates, altitude), route traveled, schedule, travel time between stops, and to find the most suitable type and configuration of neural network to evaluate the model. The developed prediction model was assessed with different types of deep neural networks using real data collected for several bus lines in a medium-sized city in Poland. Conducted research has shown that the deep learning network with autoencoders (DLNA) neural network allows for the most accurate energy consumption estimation of 93%. The proposed model can be used by public transport companies to plan driving schedules and energy management when introducing electric buses.

Natural Gas Consumption Forecasting Based on the Variability of External Meteorological Factors Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Natural gas consumption depends on many factors. Some of them, such as weather conditions or historical demand, can be accurately measured. The authors, based on the collected data, performed the modeling of temporary and future natural gas consumption by municipal consumers in one of the medium-sized cities in Poland. For this purpose, the machine learning algorithms, neural networks and two regression algorithms, MLR and Random Forest were used. Several variants of forecasting the demand for natural gas, with different lengths of the forecast horizon are presented and compared in this research. The results obtained using the MLR, Random Forest, and DNN algorithms show that for the tested input data, the best algorithm for predicting the demand for natural gas is RF. The differences in accuracy of prediction between algorithms were not significant. The research shows the differences in the impact of factors that create the demand for natural gas, as well as the accuracy of the prediction for each algorithm used, for each time horizon.

Barriers to the Application of Spatial Information Systems in the SmartCity Dynamic Management

The article concerns using of SIS (Spatial Information System) technology in dynamic Smart City management. SIS technology tools have become an integral part of urban space management. The mentioned technology is used by more and more smaller cities. Although SIS is becoming more and more popular, the application of different types of tools using it still encounters different types of barriers. Meanwhile, the dynamic management of Smart City is becoming more and more complex, it requires new tools. SIS technology can provide such utilities. However, their implementation is slowed down by various barriers.The aim of the study was to identify barriers that slow down the implementation of SIS technology tools. For this purpose, a five-level model of SIS technology application development was worked out. The model shows the direction of development of SIS technology application, and thanks to it, it was indicated what barriers may appear when moving to the next levels. In order to identify them, a two-stage empirical study was carried out in Polish cities with a population of about 100,000. Their aim was first to check, whether the examined cities use SIS technology tools. This was confirmed by the survey conducted by means of electronic observation. Afterwards, studies were conducted in 13 medium-sized cities in Poland. Based on the results, the model of development of SIS technology application was positively verified by assigning an appropriate level of development to each of the examined cities. Barriers were then identified and included: mental, financial, organizational and legal, information, technological and mental barriers.

Vascular flora of urban forests in a medium-sized city in Poland: comparison with nature reserves in the city’s surrounding

ABSTRACT Urban forests are basic elements in the ecological structure of cities. The dendroflora and herb species of oak-hornbeam forests in a medium-sized city type was studied and compared with nature reserves located outside the city, based on phytosociological analysis using the Braun-Blanquet percentage-of-cover scale. More inconsistent trees and shrubs occurred in the urban forests and some tree species showed poor renewal. The herb plant species have become more frequent in nature reserves, but we were not able to detect significant differences regarding species inconsistent with the habitat. Herb plants in urban forests preferred more light and fertile habitats. Myrmecochory was the most common seed dispersal. Nowadays, the conservation of urban biota is of great importance and more sustainable approaches towards management of nature are needed. To implement such approaches, results of studies focused on ecology of urban forests may serve as an important tool.

Railway feat. culture – Rumia library effect as an example of the influence of culture-led regeneration in a medium-sized city in Poland

The purpose of this article is to verify the thesis put forward by Skot-Hansen et al. (2013) with regard to the potential of modern libraries, but considered in the context of an investment located in a post-socialist medium-sized city in Poland. The study focuses on determining whether it is possible to create in an ordinary medium-sized city in a country belonging to the Socialist Bloc in 1945–1989 an extraordinary library which will have the potential to become (1) an icon, (2) a placemaker and (3) part of community vitalisation. Such a potential of modern libraries is indicated by Skot-Hansen et al. (2013). They analyse libraries located in large Western European cities. Therefore, the question arises about the possibility of extrapolating the indicated features to libraries located in smaller settlement units and located in Eastern European countries. This is an area whose socio-economic development over the past decades has been different than the countries of Western Europe indicated by Skot-Hansen et al. (2013).