Mobility Inequality in a Small Town in Central Poland. The Case Study of Zgierz

Olczak, Bartłomiej (2021) Mobility Inequality in a Small Town in Central Poland. The Case Study of Zgierz. CITIES 20.50 – Creating Habitats for the 3rd Millennium: Smart – Sustainable – Climate Neutral. Proceedings of REAL CORP 2021, 26th International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 525-534. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

Over the past decades, the number of cars has been increasing around the world rapidly. In effect, the demand for road space and space for parking has also been growing. At the same time, especially in town centres, space is limited, which leads to many urban conflicts. Our cities are automobile-dependent, which means that transportation and land use patterns favour car users and at the same time create less accessible circumstances for other means of transport, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. It excludes vulnerable and marginalised groups and harms the majority of inhabitants. There is a need for a different distribution of the forms of mobility, in particular in terms of sustainable development and climate change mitigation. It finds confirmation in many European agreements. The European Union has been dealing with sustainable development and mobility for several years. The results of it are the Green and White Papers. The newest documents like the European Green Deal and the New Leipzig Charter focus on sustainable transformation, which leads to climate neutrality. The main aim is to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. It also concerns the topic of urban mobility. In Poland, transport problems began to increase in the second half of the 20th century. The transition to a market economy led to the decapitalization of transport networks. As a result, differences between regions increased and the accessibility of many areas in the national and European systems deteriorated. The problem concerns especially small towns, where the resignation from public transport is common. and leads to exclusion. Zgierz is a town located in central Poland, in the vicinity of Lodz, the third-largest city in the country. Due to the collapse of the textile and chemical industries, Zgierz faced the need to transform its economic profile, which it has not dealt with yet. Moreover, the negative impact of transportation compounds the effect of the degradation. The problem is the most visible in the centre area due to the radial layout of streets and the lack of ring roads. This study examines the negative impact of transport and mobility inequality in a small town in Poland. Using the case study method it identifies diverse aspects in which users of different means of transport are not treated equally. It analyses traffic congestion, demand for space, barriers in public spaces, road safety and air pollution. It also compares the results of analyses with European guidelines and offers some key recommendations.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sustainable development, mobility inequality, urban mobility, climate change, small town
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Depositing User:	REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited:	30 Sep 2021 07:17
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2021 17:22
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/781

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