Social participation in the aspect of a smart city development

Advanced technologies are entering citizens’ lives, which can be noticed at every turn. Society is becoming increasingly involved in building, creating and planning a city, district or the nearest place of residence. The quality of the functioning of the local community and the quality of life depend, to a large extent, on the level of social participation. The aim of social participation is to establish a mechanism for meeting citizens’ needs, and to achieve citizens’ acceptance of the authorities’ actions. Modern communication techniques greatly facilitate the expression of public opinion and public awareness in this regard has been on the rise. A growing number of new forms of communication using modern technologies are being developed all the time. The aim of the study is to analyse the forms of social participation in the city life, inter alia spending financial resources on its development. Attention is also drawn to the most recent ways in which the authorities communicate with the public in order for the latter to express their opinions on the former’s actions. Practical research was conducted for the city of Olsztyn located in the north-eastern part of Poland. Social activity forms were analysed, including those carried out using ICT technologies. The research shows that access to modern technologies facilitates contact between the city authorities and citizens, which ensures that the policy under implementation is kept in line with citizens’ expectations

SCALE-FREE NETWORK THEORY IN STUDYING THE STRUCTURE OF THE ROAD NETWORK IN POLAND

This paper discusses the issue of statistical analysis of traffic flow in different regions of Poland. Such analysis allows us to identify “valuable (sensitive) areas” whose damage or blockage may provoke considerable disturbances or even a stoppage of traffic flow in the examined road network. The results of the studies indicate that the road network in Poland has the properties of a scale-free network. The distribution of the examined variables does not have a normal character, whereas the relationship between the number of nodes and the number of connections is a power-law feature. </p

Farm holdings and the owner’s residence location in the aspect of direct payments from the EU: A case study in nine regions in Poland

Instruments promoting rural development have been implemented by many countries. Areabased payments for farmers allocated under the Common Agricultural Policy constitute one of such instruments in the European Union. The support system for rural areas, including the size of the declared reference parcels, is monitored as part of the cross-compliance mechanism. Parcels with unfavorable landuse patterns are more difficult to farm. According to estimates, more than 30% of agricultural farms in Poland fall into this category. This study proposes a universal algorithm for controlling the information submitted by farmers in payment applications. More than 76,000 applications were analyzed, and farms with the defective spatial structure of land were randomly selected. The results show that most errors occur in the case of land parcels situated the farthest from a farm holding (declared in the application), but the analysis revealed no strong correlation in this respect

Informacije i raspon baza podataka koje se koriste za pomorsko prostorno planiranje i za integrirano upravljanje obalnim područjem - primjer slučaja u Poljskoj, Baltičko more

Intensive exploitation of coastal and maritime areas, together with climate changes, natural hazards and erosion, have increased pressure on coastal and maritime resources. They require integrated and consistent management in order to ensure sustainable development and to preserve coastal and marine ecosystems for future generations. Spatial development planning for maritime areas is commonly understood to denote an open process of analysis, planning and temporal distribution of components of human activity, which results in accomplishment of economic, social and environmental goals. Such actions require a wide range of information. The main objective of the study was to identify the range of data used in maritime spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea and the possibility of acquiring such data. A high degree of generalisation prevents a lot of available data for MSP and ICZM from being used. An analysis of information resources (databases, registers, information systems) for the Polish Baltic zone and the coastal area has shown it to be dispersed and incomplete. However, considering the rapid development of the sector and the commitment of the stakeholders, one can predict that the new tools and projects will fill the gaps in this regard.Intenzivna eksploatacija obalnih i morskih područjima, zajedno s klimatskim promjenama, prirodnim nepogodama i erozijom, čine povećan pritisak na obalne i pomorske resurse. Ovi resursi zahtijevaju integrirano i konzistentno upravljanje kako bi se osigurao održivi razvoj, te omogućilo očuvanje obalnih i morskih ekosustava za buduće generacije. Planiranje prostornog razvoja pomorskih područja obično podrazumijeva otvoren proces analize, planiranja i vremenske raspodjele dijelova ljudskog djelovanja, što rezultira provođenjem ekonomskih, socijalnih i ekoloških ciljeva. Takvi postupci zahtijevaju širok raspon informacija. Glavni cilj našeg istraživanja bio je utvrditi raspon podataka koji se koriste u pomorskom prostornom planiranju, integriranom upravljanju obalnim područjem u poljskom dijelu Baltičkog mora, kao i mogućnost stjecanja takvih podataka. Visok stupanj generalizacije sprječava korištenje većine raspoloživih korisnih podataka za MSP i ICZM. Analiza informacijskih izvora (baze podataka, registri, informacijski sustavi) za poljski dio Baltičke zone i obalnog područja pokazala je da su podaci raspršeni i nepotpuni. Međutim, s obzirom na brzi razvoj sektora i predanost sudionika, može se predvidjeti da će novi alati i projekti doprinjeti rješavanju problema s podacima

Regional Interferences to Photovoltaic Development: A Polish Perspective

The stability of energy generation is crucial for the functioning of every country. Currently, the EU policy is moving towards becoming independent of fossil energy sources, which can be replaced with sources that are not exhaustible, for example, energy from the sun. Public awareness of renewable energy is increasing. People are willing to invest in natural solutions. However, planning large photovoltaic farm projects is difficult due to complex location requirements. The study aimed to analyse the interferences/barriers to be considered when searching for a suitable location to install a photovoltaic farm. The analysis was conducted for the territory of Poland. The study used a literature and local legislation query and the Delphi method. The Delphi method identified the most important interferences from the investor’s perspective. Eleven interferences have been identified, classified into legal, spatial, technical, social, and financial groups. Several are locally determined and only exist in selected locations (e.g., technical determinants of the power grid condition, etc.). In contrast, others are unitary (e.g., concerns about the impact of PV on human health, etc.). The decision-makers are aware of the existing interferences/barriers, and the proposed administrative, legal, and technical solutions marginally mitigate barriers. System solutions are recommended, allowing an easier way to find a suitable location for a PV system

Infrastructure investment projects in terms of conformity with domains of sustainable development — a comparative analysis of municipalities in the vicinity of Olsztyn city, in Warmia and Mazury region, Poland

The concept of sustainable development has a number of definitions. In a general sense, it assumes interdependence and equivalence of three domains of reality: environment, society and economy. Harmonisation of the relationship between the society, the economy and the natural environment requires the development of new, more efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies, limiting the exploitation of natural resources, energy consumption, the elimination of environment-polluting forms of production, as well as a widespread change of the way of life and revision of the acceptable hierarchy of values. According to the valid principles, the investment trends in municipalities should be in line with the domains of sustainable development, thereby providing balance in all the three areas of investment: environmental, economic and social. The aim of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the investment projects carried out in the period of 2007–2013 in selected municipalities of the Warmia and Mazury Region for their compliance with the principles of sustainable development of rural areas. Investment projects co-financed from EU funds were examined. This has allowed us to highlight the spheres of investment, which drew particular attention within the period of time under study. The shifted focus of investment efforts also testifies to backwardness in the supported sphere

Multifunctional rural development – a comparative analysis of municipalities adjacent to the city of Olsztyn

Rural areas have multiple functions. Four key functions can be identified in a synthetic approach: economic, environmental, social and cultural. Multidirectional rural development is strongly influenced by spatial attributes, demographics, environmental factors, infrastructure and capital. Multidirectional development is closely associated with the multiple functions of rural areas. In general, multifunctional rural development involves rural activation and rural business diversification which enables members of the rural community to derive incomes from non-farming activities. The growth potential of rural municipalities is an important determinant of multifunctional development. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of socioeconomic development in rural municipalities, which is an indicator of their multifunctional development. The analysis involved rural municipalities adjacent to the city of Olsztyn. These municipalities are bedroom communities whose residents commute to work in the urban center. The study analyzed 15 indicators describing the four key areas of multifunctional development: environmental, social, economic and infrastructural. Data for 2013-2015 were acquired from the Central Statistical Office and statistical tables of the agricultural productivity index. The results indicate that the municipality of Purda (with relatively poor soils) meets the highest number of criteria and the municipality of Dywity (with relatively high-quality soils) meets the lowest number of criteria for multifunctional development

Vulnerability of Rural Areas to Climate Change – Analysis of Similar Units in Terms of Spatial Conditions for Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship

In the current decade, the fact that climate change is a continuous process and that humans have been contributing to this change is indisputable. Therefore, the whole society and the decision-makers who guide the process of application of regional policy principles are facing a challenge as to which measures need to be taken to minimise the consequences of this change. Although we live in a global world, it can be observed that interactions occur in each unit on an individual basis. As we have more and more knowledge and information on the space, we can indicate which units, regions and spaces have the greatest predisposition to be subject to climate change. Moreover, being aware of the level of risk, we can attempt to implement tools that will help society to accept climate change and properly adapt to it. A space’s predisposition to climate change is not only determined by the weather, environmental or geographical conditions. The literature on the subject indicates three basic determinants of the predisposition, i.e. the exposure, vulnerability and the adaptive capacity. Only all of these elements grouped together can provide an answer to the question about a unit’s predisposition. The article focuses on the indices which represent all three determinants of the predisposition. It should be noted that depending on the availability of data and their aggregation, there is no possibility of using the same indices for all countries. This, however, does not prevent the performance of a uniform analysis for spaces included in the same statistics. The article presents a case study for agricultural land in the province of Warmia and Mazury. Using Ward’s method, four subregions with similar determinants of the predisposition to climate change were distinguished. Three subregions stand out, as two of them have a significant impact of exposure (S.1) and vulnerability (S.2), while the third subregion dominates in terms of adaptive capacity (S.4)

Socio-Spatial Aspects of Shrinking Municipalities: A Case Study of the Post-Communist Region of North-East Poland

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