Urban Adaptation to Climate Change Plans and Policies – the Conceptual Framework of a Methodological Approach

The adaptation of urbanised areas to climate change is currently one of the key challenges in the domain of urban policy. The diversity of environmental determinants requires the formulation of individual plans dedicated to the most significant local issues. This article serves as a methodic proposition for the stage of retrieving data (with the PESTEL and the Delphic method), systemic diagnosis (evaluation of risk and susceptibility), prognosis (goal trees, goal intensity map) and the formulation of urban adaptation plans. The suggested solution complies with Polish guidelines for establishing adaptation plans. The proposed methodological approach guarantees the participation of various groups of stakeholders in the process of working on urban adaptation plans, which is in accordance with the current tendencies to strengthen the role of public participation in spatial management

First, do no harm - Missing data treatment to support lake ecological condition assessment

Indicators of ecological condition status of water bodies associated with field measurements are often subject to data gaps. This obstacle can often lead to abandonment of assessment. Furthermore, it can lead to the use of methods, based merely on their availability. In response to these challenges, a systematic approach for expert-analyst interaction for missing data treatment is proposed. A combination of algorithms with hierarchical clustering of results is used. A particular emphasis is put on the preparation and interpretation of input data and the role of an expert in the workflow. The proposed approach enhances the decision-making process by improving communication and transparency throughout interactions between experts, analysts and decision makers. Future research should focus on assessing the scale of the ecological data drift phenomenon, which, based on the observed climate change, anthropological pressure and biodiversity loss, may impact the broad concept of indicator construction for lake water ecological assessmen

A Location Intelligence System for the Assessment of Pluvial Flooding Risk and the Identification of Storm Water Pollutant Sources from Roads in Suburbanised Areas

The interplay of an ever-growing number of inhabitants, sprawl development, soil sealing, changes in urban traffic characteristics, as well as observed climate trends gives rise to more frequent pluvial flooding in cities, a higher run-off of water, and an increasing pollution of surface water. The aim of this research is to develop a location intelligence system for the assessment of pluvial flooding risks and the identification of storm water pollutant sources from roads in newly-developed areas. The system combines geographic information systems and business intelligence software, and it is based on the original Pluvial Flood Risk Assessment tool. The location intelligence system effectively identifies the spatial and temporal distribution of pluvial flood risks, allows to preliminarily evaluate the total run-off from roads, and helps localise potential places for new water management infrastructure. Further improvements concern the modelling of a flow accumulation and drainage system, the application of weather radar precipitation data, and traffic monitoring and modelling

Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Assessment for Sustainable Management

Research on complex socio-environmental systems (also known as socio-ecological systems) has a long tradition in scientific considerations [...

Spatial planning for reducing the epidemic risk - the state of knowledge and practice from the perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic

The ongoing public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the link between community safety and health and the urban environment and has raised many challenges for cities that want to continue to provide a safe living environment. The Coronavirus pandemic has provoked many controversy and questions about its impact on urban forms. The goal of research was to document the status of knowledge and emerging research paths in the year following the COVID pandemic’s disclosure. The study includes a scoping review to determine the relationship between urban planning and the epidemic risk. Literature research showed that compact structures, because of their proximity to health centers, give higher epidemic safety. Accessibility to vital services prepares cities and their residents for unanticipated threats. The promotion of a dispersion strategy, with social distance regulations already in place, can lead to the rise of prejudice and xenophobia. Urban planners and architects should also pay more attention to urban geometry, building configuration, communication networks, or green spaces. In order to strengthen urban resilience, appropriate infrastructure, the implementation of new technologies, and the construction of urban systems and structures are essential

Lokalny wymiar funduszy europejskich w Polsce i Czechach

Artykuł przedstawia analizę wykorzystania środków unijnych przez gminy w dwóch sąsiadujących ze sobą regionach – województwie dolnośląskim (Polska) i kraju Hradec Kralove (Czechy). Łącznie przeanalizowano 580 gmin (168 po stronie polskiej i 412 po stronie czeskiej). Główne cele artykułu to analiza przestrzenna oraz wykazanie różnic w sposobie dystrybucji funduszy strukturalnych. Szczególnie próbowano zweryfikować hipotezę o efekcie skali – większej sprawności w pozyskiwaniu dotacji przez jednostki większe. Wyniki badań pozwalają na wyciągnięcie kilku kluczowych wniosków. Gminy polskie mają większy wpływ na kształtowanie polityki lokalnej, co powoduje, że pozyskują więcej środków niż ich odpowiedniki po stronie czeskiej. W naszych badaniach nie udowodniono efektu skali zarówno po stronie polskiej, jak i czeskiej, nie wykazano także istotnych zależności przestrzennych

Valuing Environmental Amenities in Peri-Urban Areas: Evidence from Poland

Ecosystems provide services that contribute to the well-being of people living within a city’s borders and on the urban–rural fringe. While benefits from green areas in urban settings are well investigated, peri-urban areas are significantly less addressed by researchers than cities. This study aims to evaluate the importance of environmental amenities in peri-urban areas using the hedonic pricing method to assess people’s willingness to pay for environmental goods and services. A local regression model (geographically weighted regression) and two global regression models (generalized spatial two-stage least squares and ordinary least square) are used to identify the spatial patterns and level of influence of protected areas, forests, rivers, trees, and landscape diversity. This paper includes the Central European case study example of a peri-urban area of the city of Wroclaw, Poland. The results from the three models show that out of all of the environmental amenities included in this study, proximity to protected areas—such as Natura 2000 sites and landscape parks—and the diversity of land-use patches within the 500-m radius around the sites exert the strongest influence on plot prices. The overall impact of environmental amenities on vacant plot prices in peri-urban areas is low or, as in the case of river and streams, not significant. The results of the analysis reveal the preferences of the new peri-urban inhabitants concerning green spaces that have an effect on the real estate market in Poland

Forecasting and Assessment of Planning Environmental Impact on a Local Scale with the Use of Communityviz

Rapid changes in land use caused by human activity make it necessary to create indicator-based assessment to measure this transformation. Assessment should be established in a form of mechanism which is possible to implement on any area. One of the branches of changes which should be measured are environmental issues. Considerations made in this article examine the possibility to use for this purpose universal tool called CommunityViz. Research was taken on a local spatial plan and on investments realized till 2004 and 2009 year in a Siechnice city. Calculation include demographical, environmental and vehicle-journey factors

Small town and rural areas in suburban area - case study of Oborniki Śląskie municipality

Proces suburbanizacji, z którym mamy coraz częściej do czynienia wokół największych polskich miast, silnie oddziałuje na przekształcenia funkcjonalno-przestrzenne. Migracja ludności na przedmieścia wynika najczęściej z chęci znalezienia lepszego, w opinii osób migrujących, miejsca do życia. Najczęściej w strefie suburbialnej znajdują się obszary wiejskie. Zdarza się jednak, że występują tam również małe miasta. Celem pracy jest zbadanie, w jakim stopniu małe miasto jest miejscem konkurencyjnym dla obszarów wiejskich w kontekście procesu suburbanizacji. W ramach badań przeprowadzone zostały także inwentaryzacje terenowe w dwóch miejscowościach w celu porównania realizacji miejscowych planów zagospodarowania przestrzennego na obszarze wiejskim oraz na terenie małego miasta. Obszarem analiz jest podwrocławska gmina miejsko-wiejska Oborniki Śląskie.The suburbanization process, which rise around the biggest Polish cities, has a strong impact on functional and spatial transformation. The reason of migration to the suburbs is often a desire to find better, in the opinion of migrants, a place to live. Usually the direction of migrants is reral area, however, sometimes smaller cities are also a part of suburban area of bigger city. The aim of the study is to examine how a small town is a competitive place for rural areas in the context of the suburbanization process. The study include also field surveys, in small city and a village, to compare the implementation of local development plans. The case study is urban-rural municipality Oborniki Śląskie, which is a part of suburban area of Wrocław