Sustainable Development of the City’s Transport Infrastructure—A Project of a New Tram Line with a Linear Park along the Exhibition Channel in Warsaw

Abstract

A new double-circuit tram route planned in Warsaw (V max = 70.0 km/h), running through the Praga Południe district from Waszyngton Avenue (Washington Avenue) to Gocław loop (total length of about 3.5 km), is designed to reduce the existing road load in this area of the access routes from outside Warsaw to the center of the capital, as well as to improve the conditions of transport service in the areas of Saska Kępa, Międzynarodowa housing estate, Kępa Gocławska and Gocław, thereby increasing the use of public transport in Warsaw. This paper concerns the first part of the planned investment-a new tram route on the section between Waszyngton Av. (Washington Avenue) and Stanów Zjednoczonych Av. (United States of America Avenue) in Warsaw, along the historical Exhibition Channel in its immediate vicinity (Saska Kępa). Specialists-constructors (Tramwaje Warszawskie Llc.) cooperated with landscape architects (Landscape Architecture Department, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW), in accordance with contemporary canons of sustainable urban development. They aimed at restoring proper proportions in the use of the area, taking into account functional aspects (optimal communication and various forms of recreation), natural aspects (preserving valuable vegetation and enriching resources), landscape aspects ("recovering" water as the main element of space) and reconstructing connections with adjacent areas (residential areas and allotments).

The Potential of Tram Networks in the Revitalization of the Warsaw Landscape

“…In this case, the greenery is also a recreational space, besides having the isolating function. Such solutions are popular around the world [1][2][3][4][5][6]9,[67][68][69][70][71][72][73], and this trend is also provided for in the design of the environment of tram route Saska Kępa-Gocław, in which the authors participated [10]. Furthermore, the conceptual research concerning the greenery structure accompanying the tram lines has shown great socioeconomic importance of the public consultations at the stage of the project preparation.…”

“…The presented case studies of cities show that a complex, coherent, and thoughtful approach to tramway lane design results in their successful integration with the urban surroundings [2,3,5,9,10,67]. The current world standard trams are environmentally friendly; they move almost noiselessly-often on surfaces covered with vegetation or in "green corridors"-without degrading visually valuable, often historic downtown areas.…”

“…Finally, the great importance of social participation in the design of green areas should be emphasized, especially linear parks in the vicinity of tram routes [10]. The authors' experiences in this area show that the recreational program of the planned park facility along the tram route should depend on public consultations.…”

“…Reside districts may have different preferences in terms of spending free time a places. The linear structure of the tram route crossing various parts of th that the residents of these locations be able to comment on the recreationa example, this type of public consultation in Warsaw was carried out in the paring an investment project-the construction of a new tram route: Saska [10] (Figure 22).…”

“…Concerning trams, passenger and environmentally friendly solutions are introduced by increasing accessibility, improving travel efficiency, and reducing energy consumption, thus reducing environmental costs [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The use of the multi-factor analysis method at each level of tram route planning and extensive promotional and information campaigns cause tramways to receive more and more social attention, as does the involvement of future passengers in the open debate at the design analysis stage (e.g., [5,[7][8][9][10][11]). In this context, it is no exaggeration to say that the tramway as a form of public transport becomes a stimulus for developing and revitalizing cities [4,12].…”