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ACCESSIBILITY AS A CRITERION OF EVALUATING THE PUBLIC SPACES

J. Wiszniowski

Abstract

The focus of the research is accessibility of the public space designated in the legal documents generating social policy of Wroclaw city. Integration and expansion of social development constitute one of the main objectives of economic development, both at the national and local level. Spatial planning should satisfy basic social needs and provide room to interpersonal relationships. Accessibility is one of the most important features defining areas of public space. Depending on various points of view from which accessibility can be considered, one will notice its different aspects. The cognitive aim is to establish the criteria of accessibility resulting from legal requirements and planning practice. In practice, the research defines the basic functional and spatial conditions that meet the requirements of available space. This can be used to verify the decisions taken to designate areas of public space. The determinant of accessibility is one of the most important criteria of evaluating areas of the public spaces as places of social activity. In social terms, this is primarily a space available for communication, defined in three ways: demonstrations and exchange of views, the media content stored in the location, form and space equipment, and, finally community share production of space as a result of the agreement based on the public dialogue. In material terms, it is openness and accessibility for all users, regardless of affiliation, wealth, the degree of physical or intellectual, which constitute an important attribute of the public space. On the example of the policy of spatial development of Wroclaw, we can notice some tendencies to treat large transport junctions in the city and big shopping centres and service as the most important elements of the system areas of the public space. Simultaneously, the functional, spatial and proprietary features of these places mostly do not meet the conditions for general accessibility. Therefore, we must conclude that the area occupied by the road infrastructure, or serving as the transport facilities (such as car parks) and commercial activities (such as shopping centers) cannot be automatically included in the integration sites, but should be evaluated in terms of their characteristics, whether they are appropriate to the tasks defined in the definition of areas of the public space.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/SGEMSOCIAL2017/HB51/S17.004

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