The Idea of a ‘Just City’ – a Concept of an Aggregate Measure of Development in Polish Cities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/bgss-2023-0032Keywords
geography, planning & development, just city, sustainability, local development, Polish urban areas, aggregate measureAbstract
The subject of the article is the ‘just city’ concept. Justice, greening and making cities productive in the long term are the main axes of the integrated development of modern cities. The main goal of the paper is to discuss and assess the degree of justice in the development of 66 Polish cities with poviat rights in 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2020. Based on previous research and available data, an aggregate measure of a just city is proposed. A dynamic method of zero unitarization is used. The analysis shows that between 2010 and 2020, there was an increase in the level of justice in urban development (the average yearly rate of change was 2.5%). Only seven cities recorded a decline. There was also a slight and decreasing variation in cities in terms of the urban justice. One can even speak of an equalization of inequality here.
References
Allardt, E. (1993). Having, Loving, Being: An Alternative to the Swedish Model of Welfare Research. The Quality of Life: 88–94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/0198287976.003.0008.
Antczak, E. (2019). Analysis of Spatial Diversification of Organic Farming Development in the Communes of the Lodzkie Voivodeship. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Oeconomica, 1(340): 7–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6018.340.0.
Antczak, E., Rzeńca A. & Sobol A. (2023). “Productive cities” in Poland – a comparative analysis based on an aggregate measure of development. Economics and Environment, 86(3), in press.
Antczak, E., Rzeńca A. & Sobol A. (2023). Green cities in Poland – comparative analysis based on the composite measure of development. Wiadomości Statystyczne, 68(11): 23-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59139/ws.2023.11.2.
Arcadis. (2015). Sustainable Cities Index 2015. Balancing the economic, social and environmental needs of the world’s leading cities. Available at: www.academia.edu/19020481/Arcadis_sustainable_cities_index_report (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Arcadis. (2021). Ranking of Polish Sustainable Cities [in Polish]. Available at: https://www.arcadis.com/pl-pl/aktualnosci/europe/poland/2021/7/ranking-polskich-miast (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Bosher, L. & Coaffee, J. (2008). Editorial: International perspectives on urban resilience. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Urban Design and Planning, 161(4): 145–146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1680/udap.2008.161.4.145.
Brożek, J., Szewczyk, J. & Jaworska, M. (2021). The level of economic development of voivodships in dynamic terms. Rozwój Regionalny i Polityka Regionalna, 14(57): 11–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/rrpr.2021.57.02.
Bukowski, M., Śniegocki, A. & Wetmańska Z. (2018). From restructuring to sustainable development. The case of Upper Silesia, Warsaw: WiseEuropa for WWF Poland Foundation.
Bywalec, C. (1991). Economic growth and the standard of living of Polish society [in Polish]. Warszawa: Instytut Rynku Wewnętrznego i Konsumpcji.
CM, Council of Ministers. (2015). Resolution No. 198 of the Council of Ministers of 20 October 2015 on the adoption of the National Urban Policy. Available at: http://gamma.infor.pl/zalaczniki/mpo/2015/216/mpo.2015.216.1235.0001.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Diener, E. & Diener, C. (1995). The wealth of nations revisited: Income and quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 36(3): 275–286. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01078817.
Drobniak, A. (2015). Urban resilience concept: cities’ strategic diagnosis and monitoring tool. Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny, 77(1): 119–143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/rpeis.2015.77.1.7.
Dziekański, P. (2019). The Financial Situation of Cities with Poviat Rights in Eastern Poland vs. Diversification of Development Potential. Biblioteka Regionalisty, 19: 50–65. DOI: 10.15611/br.2019.1.04.
Easterlin, R.A. (2001). Income and happiness: towards a unified theory. The Economic Journal, 111(473): 465–484. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00646.
EIU, Economic Intelligence. (2023). EIU report The Global Liveability Index 2023. Available at: https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/global-liveability-index-2023/?utm_source=eiu-website&utm_medium=home&utm_campaign=liveability23 (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
EC, European Commission. (2019). The European Green Deal. European Commission, COM(2019) 640 final. Available at: https://territorialagenda.eu/files/agenda_theme/agenda_data/Background%20-%20Policy%20documents/Green-Deal.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
EC, European Commission. (2020). Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Bolsi, P., Dominicis, L., Castelli, C., et al., Report on the quality of life in European cities, Publications Office. Available at: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/600407 (Accesseed: 20 August 2023).
EC, European Commission. (2021). Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: Building-an-economy-that-works-for-people-an-action-plan-for-the-social-economy.pdf (socialeconomy.eu.org) (August 20 August 2023).
EU Ministers. (2016). Urban Agenda for the EU ‘Pact of Amsterdam’. Agreed at the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers Responsible for Urban Matters. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/policy/themes/urban-development/agenda/pact-of-amsterdam.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
EU Ministers. (2020). The New Leipzig Charter – The transformative power of cities for the common good. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/brochure/new_leipzig_charter/new_leipzig_charter_en.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Fainstein, S.S. (2010). The Just City. Cornell University Press. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt7zhwt (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Frey, B. & Stutzer A. (2000). Happiness, Economy and institutions. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.203211.
Fura, B., Stec, M. & Miś, T. (2020). Statistical Evaluation of the Level of Development of Circular Economy in European Union Member Countries. Energies, 13(23): 6401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236401.
Giffinger, R., Fertner, Ch., Kramar H. & Meijers, E. (2007). City-ranking of European Medium-Sized Cities. Available at: https://www.smart-cities.eu/download/city_ranking_final.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Granato, J., Inglehart R. & Leblang D. (1996). Cultural values, stable democracy and economic development: a reply. American Journal of Political Science, 40(3): 680. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2111789.
GRI, Global Reporting Initiative. (2023). Building a sustainable future. Available at: https://www.globalreporting.org (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Helliwell, J.F. (2003), How’s life? Combining individual and national variables to explain subjective well-being. Economic Modelling, 20(2): 331–360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0264-9993(02)00057-3.
Hicks, C.C., Levine, A., Agrawal, A., Basurto, X., Breslow, S.J., Carothers, C., Charnley, S., Coulthard, S., Dolsak, N., Donatuto, J., Garcia-Quijano, C., Mascia, M.B., Norman, K., Poe, M.R., Satterfield, T., St Martin, K. & Levin, P.S. (2016). Engage key social concepts for sustainability. Science, 352: 6281, 38-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad4977.
Holland, T.G., Peterson G.D. & Gonzales A. (2009). A Cross-National Analysis of How Economic Inequality Predicts Biodiversity Loss. Conservation Biology, 23(5): 1304–1313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01207.x.
ICLEI. (2022). Equitable transitions guidebook: Local tools for fair and inclusive sustainability programs. Bonn. Available at: Equitable Transitions Guidebook – Circulars (iclei.org) (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Inglehart, R., Foa, R., Peterson, Ch. & Welzel, Ch. (2008). Development, freedom, and rising happiness. A global perspective (1981-2007). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(4): 264–285. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00078.x.
Kotsila, P., Connolly J., Anguelovski, I. & Dommerholt, T. (2020). Drivers of injustice in the context of urban sustainability. Urban Arenas for Sustainable and Just Cities. UrbanA. Available at: Microsoft Word - Booklet of summaries_Arena.docx (urban-arena.eu) (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Kozera, A. (2016). Debt of towns with county status in Poland. Optimum. Studia Ekonomiczne, 4(82): 145–166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15290/ose.2016.04.82.10.
Kukuła, K. & Bogocz, D. (2014). Zero unitarization method and its application in ranking research in agriculture. Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne, 7(3): 5-13.
Kusideł, E. & Antczak E. (2014). Development Pattern of Mazovia - Stage II. Development Trends of Mazovia, 13: 1–72. Available at: https://archiwum.mbpr.pl/user_uploads/image/PRAWE_MENU/WYDAWNICTWA/trm/www_trm_nr_13.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Landry, S.M. & Chakraborty, J. (2009). Street trees and equity: evaluating the spatial distribution of an urban amenity. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 41(11): 2651–2670. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1068/a41236.
Marcoulides, K.M. & Raykov, T. (2019). Evaluation of Variance Inflation Factors in Regression Models Using Latent Variable Modeling Methods. Educational and psychological measurement, 79(5): 874–882. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164418817803.
MDFRP, The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy. (2022). National Urban Policy. Available at: https://www.gov.pl/web/funds-regional-policy/national-urban-policy (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Mercer. (2023). The 2019 Quality of Living Report. Available at: https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/Insights/quality-of-living-rankings (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Młodak, A. (2006). Analiza taksonomiczna w statystyce regionalnej (Taxonomic analysis in regional statistics- in Polish). Warszawa: Difin.
OECD, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2008). Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide. Paris: OECD Publishing.
OECD, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2016). Making cities work for all. Data and actions for inclusive growth, Paris: OECD Publishing.
Panek, E. (2014). Left to their own devices: College students’ “guilty pleasure” media use and time management. Communication Research, 41(4): 561–577. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650213499657.
Pélabon, C., Hilde, C.H., Einum, S. & Gamelon, M. (2020). On the use of the coefficient of variation to quantify and compare trait variation. Evolution Letters, 4(3): 180–188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.171.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
Raszka, B., Dzieżyc, H. & Hełdak, M. (2021). Assessment of the Development Potential of Post-Industrial Areas in Terms of Social, Economic and Environmental Aspects: The Case of Wałbrzych Region (Poland). Energies, 14(15): 4562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154562.
RMS, Rada Miasta Skierniewice. (2021). Strategia Rozwiązywania Problemów Społecznych Miasta Skierniewice na lata 2021– 2030. Załącznik Nr 1 do Uchwały Nr XXXIV/77/2021 Rady Miasta Skierniewice z dnia 12 sierpnia 2021r. Available at: https://www.bip.moprskierniewice.pl/dokumenty/Strategia_Rozwiazywania_Problemow_Spolecznych_Miasta_Skierniewice_na_lata_2021-_2030_1.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Sajniak, M. (2022). Strategy for Solving Social Problems of the City of Skierniewice for 2021- 2030. Studia Gdańskie. Wizje i Rzeczywistość, 18: 249–270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.8659.
Siragusa, A., Proietti, P., Bertozzi, C., Coll Aliaga, E., Foracchia, S., Irving, A., Monni, S., Pacheco Oliveira, M. & Sisto, R. (2021). Building urban datasets for the SDGs. Six European cities monitoring the 2030 Agenda, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Sobol, A. (2019). Quality of life in theory and practice of sustainable development. Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization and Management Series, 9(6): 351–364. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2019.140.29.
SP, Statistics Poland. (2023). Administrative division of Poland Available at: https://stat.gov.pl/en/regional-statistics/classification-of-territorial-units/administrative-division-of-poland/ (Accessed: 7 December 2023).
Stiglitz, J.E. (2015). The price of inequality. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej.
Starczewski, T., Rogatka, K., Kukulska-Kozieł, A., Noszczyk, T., & Cegielska, K. (2023). Urban green resilience: Experience from post-industrial cities in Poland. Geoscience Frontiers, 14(4): 101560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2023.101560.
U7 Mayors Declaration. (2023). Delivering Peace, Democracy and Sustainability in the Urban World Through Sustainable Cities, Urbanization and Multilevel Cooperation. Available at: Microsoft Word - 2023_U7_Mayors_Declaration0309rev.docx (siteitosi.jp) (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
UN-Habitat. (2022). Envisaging the Future of Cities, World Cities Report 2022, United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Available at: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2022/06/wcr_2022.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
UN, United Nations. (2015). General Assembly. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 21 October 2015, A/RES/70/1. Available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57b6e3e44.html (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
UN, United Nations. (2017). New Urban Agenda. Available at: https://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/NUA-English.pdf (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
UrbanA. (2023). Urban Arenas for sustainable and just cities. Available at: https://urban-arena.eu/ (Accessed: 20 August 2023).
Wilkinson, R. (2005). The impact of inequality. London: Routledge.
Włodarczyk, K. (2015). Quality of urban life in Poland. Journal of International Studies, 8(2): 155–163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-8330.2015/8-2/13.
Żuk, P., Żuk, P. & Pluciński, P. (2021). Coal basin in Upper Silesia and energy transition in Poland in the context of pandemic: The socio-political diversity of preferences in energy and environmental policy. Resources Policy, 71: 101987. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.101987.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Elżbieta Antczak, Agnieszka Rzeńca, Agnieszka Sobol
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Title, logo and layout of journal Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series are reserved trademarks of Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series.Stats
Number of views and downloads: 401
Number of citations: 0
