local service centre

In the current urban planning discourse much attention is paid to services provision in residential areas (neighbourhoods). In the so called habitat a local service centre is defined as a multifunctional public space providing access to everyday services, stimulating social integration and building local identity. This general definition, though comprehensive and convincing, has limited value for urban planning: it bears particular questions regarding the form and function of local service centres in contemporary neighbourhoods. This paper presents a critical review of scientific literature on service nodes in urban areas which is followed by a conceptualisation of the research issues to be studied. Starting from the overview of historical origins (ancient agora, medieval market squares, the neighbourhood unit in the modernism) up to current planning concepts (quality of life shaped by an easy access to services), the paper concludes on the users’ needs and the required formal and functional characteristics of local service centres. Eventually the conceptual framework for the neighbourhood service centres is developed, including several research components: functional programme, spatial form, social functions, structure of needs, efficiency of services, online and offline offer, localisation, accepted distance and optimal range. Such a framework may be adopted in urban planning theory and practice, thus contributing to the current knowledge on shaping residential areas.

Services originally developed as natural concentrations of human activity, reflecting the Christallerian hierarchy of central places. Today, those natural mechanisms are challenged by strong competition from online facilities. More and more services are offered by the internet and this affects the traditional 'bricks-and-mortar' urban development. In this article, the main research problems of the inter-relatedness of real and virtual environments are defined in the context of urban neighbourhood service centres. The process of conversion from offline services into online ones is treated as a canvas for building a comprehensive research model for studying the development of the contemporary urban services sector in the local scale. Particular research questions and hypotheses are formulated and followed by a set of methods for further empirical research.

Neighbourhood liveability is a concept reflecting the perceived living conditions in a housing area. Liveability depends on one hand on the relationship between demand and supply on the local services market, and on the other hand on the spatial structure of the neighbourhood. In this paper we combine those two aspects by asking a question: what physical forms are the most effective in providing quality of life and satisfying the everyday needs of citizens? We present the results of social survey and mapping analysis conducted in five neighbourhoods in Poland representing big cities, medium towns and suburbs. Each case study referred to the opinions of both the customers and services providers. The results show that some spatial structures (streets, squares, passages) are positively evaluated by each of the two groups, thus determining the neighbourhood liveability.