Communication value of urban space in the urban planning process on the example of a Polish city

摘要

The main aim of this study was to determine the communication value of urban space. This goal was pursued in several research stages. For the needs of this study, the concept of communication value of public transport was defined as the ease of transit between points in space by means of public transport. The communication value of urban space is directly proportional to the number of lines serving a given stop, the number of lines departing from a given stop, and the distance to a public transport stop. The indicators of communication value were determined. The theoretical assumptions for developing a method for the determination of communication value were also developed. The proposed method was verified in the study area, and the applicability of the proposed method was discussed. The study was conducted in the city of Olsztyn where two types of public transport are available: buses and trams. In the analyzed period, Olsztyn had 35 bus lines, including 25 regular lines, 3 commuter lines, 5 seasonal lines, and 2 night lines. There were also 3 tram lines in the city. The main public transport operator had a fleet of 160 vehicles. The results of the study indicate that the proposed method supports the identification of areas with high communication value as well as areas where public transport requires improvement. Due to its universality, the method is applicable in many areas, from city planning through the process of estimating the market value of the property to the decisions made by the inhabitants when choosing their place of residence. Acoustic value maps have recently gained popularity in urbanized areas. A map of the communication value of urban space based on the proposed method is likely to become equally popular.