Abstract
Port city is an urban organism which integrates two different types of areas: land and water, that create a dynamic, multidimensional spatial network. Due to presence of water, port city has a unique character and significant development potential being the space of flows: goods transshipment, human migrations, dynamic coastal environment. The water-land relationship was essential in the past and is still the crucial aspect for development of port cities, which economic growth is largely based on maritime economy. Strengthening the water-land spatial ad functional relation has potential to provide the integrity of the vulnerable coastal zone and urban sustainable growth in multiple aspects: social, environmental and communication: contributing to environmental sustainability, promoting sustainable means of transport (water transport), positively influencing the mental and physical health of users, increasing attractiveness of public spaces and strengthening unique aquatic character of the city and local port culture. Recently, the aquatic area began to be treated not only as a natural resource and part of the landscape but also as a spatial resource and platform for various urban activities. The perception of the water-land interface zone in the city is therefore undergoing transformation, as a result of which in the last decade the concept of urban blue space began to take shape. The inclusion of water in urban planning of port cities in Europe was introduced through implementation of marine spatial planning, which is a relatively new process, firstly introduced in the late 20th century. In current state of law, the area at the edge of water and land in Polish port cities is subject to two separate planning procedures covering land and water areas, which may adversely affect the integrity of the space and the water-land relationship, being one of the key aspects of the sustainable development of port cities and enhancement of their marine character and culture. Ensuring the integrity of planning on land and water, and thus the connectivity of the space at the interface between two environments is the new challenge for urban planners. Aquatic areas are essential element of port cities’ web, which may be the key for enhancement of connectivity of public space network at the edge of water and land and therefore improvement of permeability of port city structure. The following paper presents conclusions withdrawn from investigation of urban blue public space network within chosen small and medium-sized port cities in Poland which are engaged in the process of marine spatial planning. Basing on urban blue space mapping and spatial analysis of urban blue public spaces the author conducted a comparative analysis on public space network structure and level of water-land connection in researched port cities. Through the analysis, the main spatial and functional problems related to water-land connectivity have been identified. The problematic aspects were later investigated in current provisions of planning documents on land and on water, which led to conclusions regarding the existing shortcomings in the existing planning arrangements and the potential opportunities to strengthen the integrity of the water-land area by means of planning records.
