Abstract:

Plans for the development of rail transport in the city represent an effective alternative for sustainable mobility and fast transport of inhabitants without delays in traffic jams. Secondary benefits include reducing the carbon footprint, improving air quality and the environment. For this reason, many cities are strategically switching to this mode of passenger transport. Integrated passenger transport terminals combining rail, road, and tram transport thus represent connecting elements between cities and their surrounding area and the whole region. A railway line in declining or extinct production areas on the outskirts of cities, but currently often in contact with the central parts of cities, can in some cases be revitalized and provide an alternative to intra-city passenger transport. Speedways built with large investments and insensitively passing through the city create huge barriers, untapped unused areas under the viaducts, noisy, dusty, and hostile environments. The construction of road bypasses outside the cities and the maximum use of rail transport is a factor influencing the sustainability and quality of the urban environment.

Another effective approach to creating sustainable urban eco-diversity is to create a network of green and natural elements in the city. It connects city parks, greenery of public spaces, greenery around watercourses, bio-corridors, and natural elements of the surrounding landscape. Green bridges need to be built at junctions with road or rail infrastructure. They can be used not only for the transit of animals but also for pedestrians and cyclists.

Both approaches are intensively applied in the pedagogical process in architectural and urban design at the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. School urban design studios and plans for the cities in Slovakia – Bratislava, Žilina, Komárno, and in Poland – Gdansk verify application capabilities.

Keywords:

Rail transport, green corridors, green infrastructure, environmental quality, livability.