Abstract
Urban planners call for real-time spatial monitoring as a tool allowing responding effectively to negative changes driving chaotic development and urban sprawling. Urban challenges are still recognised on the bases of analysis done with the use of urban classicists’ theories, while at the same time the meaning of urban data increases. Rapidly growing data appearance as well as structuring official databases and improved urban data management allows faster and more precisely define current urban issues. What is more important, such approach gives an opportunity of real-time monitoring of city spaces and the needs of urban dwellers. As the possibility of data based planning decisions was recognised, there is a need to define tools which allows for more methodological approach for urban data analysis. To respond the increasing matter of urban data in the effective planning decisions, the paper was focused on searching the possibilities of bridging the gap between traditional methods for urban analysis and data driven design. For such data based research the theory of Jane Jacobs was chosen and tested on small towns of the Pomeranian region in Poland. The aims of the paper are: 1/ Proposing three steps model for the quantitative assessment based on Jane Jacobs theory on chosen small towns. 2/ Measuring urban metrics and to assess the quality of life in case study group. 3/ Testing measurable indicators proposed for Jane Jacobs theory on the case of Polish towns, as such group has a possibility for the implementation of solutions driving compact development. 4/ Measuring the correlation between quality of urban spaces and the quality of life. 5/ Formulating recommendations for diminishing regional development disproportions. The above mentioned model consists of phases such as: (1) assessment of quality of life based on related reports and statistical data, (2) measuring urban metrics responding Jacobs theory defined on the bases of Fowler (2001), Ewing et. al. (2013), Sung et. al. (2015), De Nadai et. al. (2016), (3) comparative study of results obtained in above mentioned stages. Methods which were used to achieve results are based on data mining and GIS tools allowing for defining indicators. Thanks to the use of with spatial statistics and spatial econometrics at the beginning and the regression and cluster analysis at the third phase, the answer for such defined aims was possible. The conclusions define urban metrics important for the quality of small town life, which also at the same time allow for the implementation of planning solutions aiming to shape compact urban structures. The paper emphasises the increasing disproportions in regional settlement network, which when left without any intervention can further led to negative development consequences.
