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SHAPING THE FUNCTIONAL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF SELECTED FRAGMENTS OF KRAKOW

T. Bajwoluk

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the contemporary changes in the functional and spatial structure of Krakow. The article discusses transformations going on in several spatially, functionally and dimensionally varied fragments of the city which have become attractive locations for new development projects in recent years. Realising these areasВ’ growth potential derived from their local conditions has changed their character and relations with the surrounding structure. The new varied forms of development in these areas, including residential, service and office development projects, require special attention and finding the right proportions, scale and form adjusted to their surroundings so that the urban space acquires a new quality. The analysis of the land use, development form, its relations with the surrounding structures and transportation accessibility carried out by the author reveals certain tendencies and preferences in the process of shaping the cityВ’s functional and spatial structure. The more important of them are the increased density of development accompanied by restricted amounts of green areas, absence of clear compositional and functional links and growth of peripheral areas. Taking local conditions into account and rational management of the urban growth may, in the future, limit potential adverse phenomena and conflicts as well as improve the urban space quality. New components of the functional and spatial structure of the city realised in different scales should create an attractive space, enliven individual neighbourhoods and promote integration with their surroundings. It is also important to give preference to those development projects that will improve the urban environment quality, also in their direct vicinity. The examples presented in the article show the complexity of the transformation processes going on in the urban fabric of a contemporary city and how they affect the functioning, image and quality of the created space.

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