Abstract

Station-nearness principles as we will discuss in this paper, deals with the coordination of urban functions with the public transportation network. When we talk about functions, we mean residences, workplaces, commercial services, entertainment venues, places of culture, etc. These functions should be high density, there should be a mix of them and they should be pedestrian friendly in nature. Effective integration of functions around train stations brings many benefits and is one of the best means by which you can increase public transport use and increase the accessibility for people in a region. More and more, cities in North America, Europe and other places, are exploring the idea of how this concept can be applied. The Copenhagen region as we will discuss, has placed station-nearness principles at the forefront of their finger plan. Since the Copenhagen region has applied these principles, they have seen clear results with increased public transit ridership, as well on the overall, an increase in the standard of living. As many places are exploring the concept, not everyplace has been able to make the concept work. When we look at Scania, the concept is under utilized to a degree. There continues to be many populated and dense areas in Scania where the coordination of urban functions with public transit is lacking. The automobile is also gaining stronger competition over public transportation; this is a concern in terms of the sustainable future and quality of life for the region. It is not always the solution to simply expand the public transportation network, rather it can be significant to explore more upon the concept of station-nearness principles so that the existing public transit network can be made more effective. It is important to compare places, see in our case study how the concept has worked in the Copenhagen region and look into why the concept is lacking in Scania, as well, what can be done to implement it more in Scania. It is also important how the Öresund region as whole, can play a role with developing the concept, as well, how the concept can benefit the Öresund region vice versa.

Abstract

Road transport is most commonly used out of other modes in terms of freight and passenger transportation on local and regional levels. For European citizens it is a primary mean of their access to services, social activities and employment. The scope of road infrastructure differs in some regions. The major disparity appears when the East of Europe is compared with the West. Actions to link periphery with the core of Europe are being continuously performed, what in this case represents itself in constructing Pan-European Transport Corridors, which will contribute to the connection of the whole territory of Europe. The Via Baltica, chosen as a case for this thesis, is a route to connect Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas, Budzisko and Warsaw. It is the common initiative of Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. In addition, it is to be an express road and part of the I Pan-European Transport Corridor, which is going to connect Baltic countries with the West and South part of Europe. We focus on presenting how the Via Baltica is introduced in official documents and compare it with the process in practice. Our final goal is to assess the planning process of the Via Baltica route in Poland according to top down planning approaches and sustainability criteria. We are trying to find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of the ongoing process. After introducing results of the analysis made for the Via Baltica by Polish experts, we present how stakeholders and local authorities try to reinforce the process, regardless of environmental issues, to achieve economic and social profits. As the result we try find out how are the dimensions of sustainable development handled in the Via Baltica case in Poland. The conclusions are based on our findings concerning several conflicts which appeared during the planning process. They are also based on one-dimension as well as multi-criteria analyses. angelikakowalczyk@o2.pl monika.m.kustra@gmail.com