Adam R. Parol

Abstract

This article concerns functional-spatial relationships between an urban centre and its regional surroundings as exemplified by the retail sphere – i.e. large-format chain shops and retail-service complexes. The study covered the city of Słupsk, located in Poland’s Middle Pomerania region – one of the largest and most important cities in northern Poland – and 3 facilities located in its immediate vicinity, in the highly urbanised village of Kobylnica (Fig. 2, Table 2). The inspiration for research in this area, which was based on passenger car traffic, was the desire to reach information unavailable in public statistics. A further matter of significance was to take account of the development in Poland in the first quarter of the 21st century of individual motorisation and the sphere of trade covered by the analysis. The main research questions underpinning the study were thus as follows:

1. What is the volume and structure of visitor traffic to the most important retail facilities in Słupsk?

2. What is the spatial range of influence of Słupsk as a centre with supra-local commercial functions?

The necessary data were obtained through a field survey, noting numbers of vehicles left in car parks adjacent to and associated with nine commercial establishments surveyed; as well as the districts in which those vehicles are registered. A self-constructed questionnaire was used for this (See Annex). A total of three recording sessions were involved, investigating different times of the day and week (a weekday at noon or afternoon, as well as Saturday at noon), with a view to ensuring that a wide range of material was obtained, as the analysis of preliminary input material showed potential variation in attendance in this area.

Pursuit of field and cameral studies relating to the functions of Słupsk as a regional commercial centre made it possible to identify the volume of car traffic in this context, and its temporal and spatial structure. The measurements in the three periods showed that the popularity of the studied objects is significantly greater on a Saturday than on a weekday, in terms of numbers of vehicles recorded in car parks. Moreover, the prevalence of the weekend over Wednesday in terms of traffic volume is more pronounced in the facilities located in the outer parts of the city – a circumstance that may relate to pattern of use – not as a visit or employment in the inner city during the working day, but as a special allocation of the leisure-time budget.

The most-popular shopping facility among the nine surveyed is the Jantar Shopping Centre (Centrum Handlowe Jantar) – the largest such complex in the city and its region. In each measurement period CH Jantar achieved the highest level of attendance, as compared with Makro in the lowest position (Fig. 3). Although 3 facilities are located beyond the Słupsk city limits, in Kobylnica, it is the author’s assumption that these were not built to serve the residents of that village, or its wider administrative district (gmina), but rather – primarily – the large nearby urban centre. This meant that the precise location of the facility had no bearing on the results obtained in terms of the county from which the vehicles parked in nearby car parks had arrived, or the time structure of the traffic. This is because the location of the Auchan and Obi hypermarkets and the Agata Meble store is a manifestation of economic suburbanisation in the vicinity of the main roads leading out of the city, as well as neglect of the extension of the area of Słupsk to include the highly-urbanised village of Kobylnica. As with the shops located within the city, the functions performed relate to the servicing of its surroundings and the region.

It should be noted that, despite changes taking place on the retail market in Poland, a large proportion of the facilities under study – be they shopping centres or large-format shops – remain popular with visitors at least a dozen years after their opening. Of key importance is the size and attractiveness of the facilities, and their location in the spatial and transport system of the Słupsk agglomeration. This reflects the predominance of the city fringe over the centre or suburban zone. From a time-budget perspective, there is no doubt regarding the traditional role of Saturday as a day off for major shopping, which can be combined with efforts to take advantage of other activities or entertainments available at the Słupsk premises (the rich offer of the Jantar Shopping Centre is reflected in its volume of traffic).

In both temporal and spatial terms, the range of the influence exerted by Słupsk as a commercial centre is clearly larger on Saturday than on a weekday – with a larger area covered and a noticeably greater number of vehicles hailing from outside the city and county of Słupsk (over 35%, as compared with between 20 and 30% on a weekday). The smallest share of cars with registrations other than those of Słupsk city and county was recorded on a weekday afternoon. On the basis of the research carried out, it is possible to distinguish several zones to the influence of Słupsk as a commercial centre (Fig. 12):

0. The city of Słupsk and Słupsk County – the natural service area of the city.

1. Sławieński and Bytowski County – the natural area of sub-regional city services.

2. Lęborski and Koszaliński Counties and the city of Koszalin – an area of interpenetration of regional influences of neighbouring centres, with a complementary or competitive role vis-à-vis Słupsk as a commercial centre.

3. Człuchowski and Chojnicki Counties – a peripheral area in the regional settlement structure of the country, with a weak influence exerted, not only from Słupsk, but also from other centres (due to distance and the degree of development – here: retail facilities).

On this basis, Słupsk can be indicated as serving a developed role of sub-regional centre, albeit with only a partially-developed regional function. It constitutes a central point of agglomeration of trade and service activities for the eastern part of the Middle Pomerania, reaching also slightly further to the south-east, and complementing in the west Koszalin – as a centre less well-equipped in this sphere of economic activity. In this way we obtain a picture of the spatial influence the city under study exerts, as signalled above.

The results show an incompatibility to the directions and sizes of flows of access to commercial facilities with the administrative division at voivodeship level and the boundary of Słupsk – and the predominance of functional connections over administrative ones is noticeable. In fact, the influence of the border of the Western Pomerania Voivodeship on Słupsk’s relations with counties is invisible, as is the city’s boundary with Kobylnica as its largest suburb. The results are related to the administrative division of Poland into 49 voivodeships in place in the 1975‑1998 period, during which time Słupsk as a voivodeship city (provincial capital) was a natural centre for several surrounding counties. Research based on today’s boundaries hinders recognition of the degree to which the relict border is still somehow in existence, as the municipalities within sławieński and chojnicki counties were only partly located within Słupsk voivodeship.

Keywords: trade, commerce, transport, space, car, Słupsk, Pomerania, Poland

Adam R. Parol [ar.parol@doctoral.uj.edu.pl], Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej

Citation

APA: Parol, A. (2024). Słupsk jako regionalny ośrodek handlowy – popularność i zasięg przestrzenny na podstawie pomiarów ruchu samochodowego. Przegląd Geograficzny, 96(2), 253-278. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.2.6
MLA: Parol, Adam R.. "Słupsk jako regionalny ośrodek handlowy – popularność i zasięg przestrzenny na podstawie pomiarów ruchu samochodowego". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 96, no. 2, 2024, pp. 253-278. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.2.6
Chicago: Parol, Adam R.. "Słupsk jako regionalny ośrodek handlowy – popularność i zasięg przestrzenny na podstawie pomiarów ruchu samochodowego". Przegląd Geograficzny 96, no. 2 (2024): 253-278. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.2.6
Harvard: Parol, A. 2024. "Słupsk jako regionalny ośrodek handlowy – popularność i zasięg przestrzenny na podstawie pomiarów ruchu samochodowego". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 96, no. 2, pp. 253-278. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2024.2.6