City of Lubliniec. Place value in the context of the quality of space

Inga Dworak (1) , Aleksandra Tomkiewicz (1)

1 Silesian University of Technology

A wide range of everyday life facilities offered by bigger municipalities, to different groups of sers, guatantees a privileged position in competition with small cities. Development of modern communication technology, flexible working hours and availability to work remotely allows a wider group of people to choose of where to live by taking into consideration other categories than proximity to the center of employment. More friendly and ecological environment, which is offered by small towns, in comparison to large city centers, become a decisive factor while choosing a permanent place of residence. Development of new place value by investing in the quality of a given area makes possible to effectively build competitive potential of smaller towns. Building attractive places for residents may be one of the direct elements to create a competitive municipality. Initiative leading to develop an urban people friendly environment gives a rise to the sustainable development of the smaller towns. In terms of building a competitive city's potential, which could contribute to the sustainable development of a municipality, the city of Lubliniec may be used as an example. Lubliniec is situated approximately 50 km from the Silesian Agglomeration. Over the past three years Lubliniec intensely invested in the restoration of the historic downtown area to create three brand new public spaces. This article present the influence of a strategic documents adopted by the city (i.e. master plan, local program of revitalization) to create new public spaces as a way of improving the quality of life and sustainable development of the city. To demonstrate the validity of creating attractive public spaces the research results presente, as to indicate the quality of the newly created public spaces. Reaserch is based on PPS method. According to which space quality and attractiveness may be assessed according to a positive reception, activity shown by different user groups within this area, and the involvement of citizens in the process of shaping of these places. The purpose of this article is to present the beneficial effects of the newly built spaces, favorable perception by city's residents and attractive living conditions in Lubliniec. Summarising, investing in attractive public spaces opens a way to a sustainable development of the city.

Mots clés: Place value; public space; Lubliniec; small town spatial development

Domaines: Géographie

Inga Dworak, Aleksandra Tomkiewicz. City of Lubliniec. Place value in the context of the quality of space. 2014, pp. 662-682. ⟨halshs-00960146⟩