Benefits of Belonging to the Cittaslow Network in the Opinion of Residents of Member Cities

Batyk, Iwona M.; Woźniak, Małgorzata

doi:10.2478/ers-2019-0006

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…An element necessary to build the involvement of the local community in the initiatives planned to be implemented is constantly informing them about the benefits of belonging to the network, as well as the effects of the implemented projects. This is confirmed by other studies conducted in Poland among 100 inhabitants from 10 Polish member cities [56]. Most of the respondents did not equate the city's accession to the Cittaslow Network with the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Overcoming Socio-Economic Problems in Crisis Areas through Revitalization of Cittaslow Towns. Evidence from North-East Poland

Zielińska-Szczepkowska

Jaszczak

Žukovskis

2021

Sustainability

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The revitalization of small towns is connected with an attempt to find multidirectional solutions to numerous social, economic and spatial problems. It is possible to remove degraded areas and areas with a high risk of social exclusion through coordinated and skillfully planned activities consisting of corrective interventions within these areas and, indirectly, in the whole structure of a small town. There are many studies on improving the quality of life of inhabitants at risk of exclusion in large cities. At the same time, there is a gap in the analyses of this phenomenon in small towns. In this article, we present the results of our observations on changes in the quality and living conditions of residents as a result of social projects implemented as part of the revitalization of marginalized areas in cities associated with the Cittaslow movement. The starting point is to identify the main socioeconomic problems and relate them to the effects of the revitalization activities carried out under the Supralocal Revitalization Program (SLRP). The study analyzed all projects that were a response to social problems in fourteen cities in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (Poland). It was based on a quantitative assessment of the selected socioeconomic indicators and a qualitative assessment based on interviews with local experts. The results of the research indicate a reduction in unemployment in all the cities covered by the study. On the other hand, the results of the expert interview show that it is not directly influenced by the implemented revitalization projects. According to experts, after revitalization, the crime rate decreased insignificantly and the educational and professional involvement of residents from marginalized areas is still low. The results may give rise to the creation of scenarios to deal with the socioeconomic problems of the analyzed examples and recommendations for the revitalization of other Cittaslow towns in the region as well as small towns in Europe and the world.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Overcoming Socio-Economic Problems in Crisis Areas through Revitalization of Cittaslow Towns. Evidence from North-East Poland

Zielińska-Szczepkowska

Jaszczak

Žukovskis

2021

Sustainability

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“…This proves that although the strategies may be an important instrument to support the development of renewable energy at the local and regional levels in other countries [79][80][81][82], they have been not used in this way by Polish Cittaslow local governments yet. In addition, the opinions of the inhabitants of Cittaslow municipalities indicate the lack of significant effects that are assumed in the documents and strategies [83].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polish Cittaslow Local Governments’ Support for Renewable Energy Deployment vs. Slow City Concept

et al. 2021

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The slow city concept is associated with great care for the protection of the natural environment and the use of renewable energy sources. Thus, the study aimed to discuss the potential of the slow city model and the actual role of Cittaslow local governments in deploying renewable energy, based on the case study of the Polish Cittaslow Network. To achieve this aim, we carried out qualitative and quantitative data analyses, based on literature review and data for all 35 Polish Cittaslow municipalities, retrieved from: (i) development strategies (ii) a survey (iii) the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland, (iv) the Quality of Life Synthetic Index (QLI). To process the data, we applied descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman’s rank test. Findings showed that the support for renewable energy deployment was not at a high level and did not correlate with the goals set in the Cittaslow development strategies. This was the result of a cumulation of pressing social and economic problems, which the local authorities in Poland are legally obliged to solve, while the implementation of renewable energy is not obligatory. The QLI for these municipalities was low and renewable energy was not a significant element in improving the quality of life of citizens.

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“…This will create an opportunity to achieve significant effects assumed in documents and strategies. The findings of a study conducted by Batyk & Woźniak (2019) show that the residents of towns in the Cittaslow network in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship do not see any considerable benefits for the time being. Therefore, the conclusion is that joining the Cittaslow network was a strictly promotional action, aimed at acquiring funds from Cittaslow projects and advertising the towns by participation in various international events.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Factors affecting housing conditions: a case study of Cittaslow towns in Poland

Napiórkowska-Baryła¹,

Świdyńska²

2021

JESI

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The concept of slow cities -"cities of good life" -promoted among small and medium-sized cities, results directly from the idea of sustainable development, which sets as a primary objective the reduction of poverty and increasing the standard and quality of life. The quality of life is understood as ensuring good housing conditions, access to services, health care and education, care for the natural and cultural environment, increasing economic activity and development with respect for spatial order and sustainable development principles. Housing conditions are one of the main determinants of the quality of life. Other decisions such as getting married, starting a family or changing jobs often depend on having adequate housing. The housing situation in Poland in comparison with the majority of EU countries is unfavorable, both in terms of the number of dwellings as well as their quality. Therefore, the aim of this research was to assess the housing situation and the factors influencing it in the towns associated in the Polish National Cittaslow Network in Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship. In the majority of cities, housing conditions were classified as medium or mediocre. Additionally, the cities were assessed in terms of their economic, demographic and investment potential, which made it possible to construct a synthetic index of their development. The level of the synthetic indicator was influenced most by the demographic, economic and investment situation. Moreover, a weak positive correlation was observed between the synthetic indicator and the housing situation. This means a weak influence of the synthetic indicator on the housing situation and vice versa. Demography in the examined Cittaslow cities influences the general development potential more strongly than housing. Therefore, city leaders should focus on creating instruments and solutions for improving demographic indicators. This is all the more justified, as the long-term forecast shows that this area may improve. This would make it possible to avoid threats resulting from deterioration of the economic and investment situation, and further on -housing.

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Benefits of Belonging to the Cittaslow Network in the Opinion of Residents of Member Cities

Cited by 16 publications

References 4 publications

Overcoming Socio-Economic Problems in Crisis Areas through Revitalization of Cittaslow Towns. Evidence from North-East Poland

Overcoming Socio-Economic Problems in Crisis Areas through Revitalization of Cittaslow Towns. Evidence from North-East Poland

Polish Cittaslow Local Governments’ Support for Renewable Energy Deployment vs. Slow City Concept

Factors affecting housing conditions: a case study of Cittaslow towns in Poland

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