Nodal points in the structure of Kraków’s inner city

Abstract

In line with the leading topic of the conference Back to the Sense of the City, the author discusses problems related to the process of emergence of key fragments of the contemporary city. These are activity and development concentrations of various kind called nodal points. Their form and content reflect both the condition of a city as a social organism and the influence of the mechanisms (of the market and regulatory nature) responsible for its spatial growth. The article presents the general theoretical and methodological grounds on which the study of this problem area has been based as well as the analysis of the situation in certain selected areas in central Kraków, such as Krakowskie Centrum Komunikacyjne /Kraków Transportation Centre/, Zablocie, the area of the Market Hall in Grzegórzki and the Mogilskie Roundabout. In conclusion, the author defines the main spatial problems in shaping nodal points in Kraków’s central districts and presents them against the backdrop of how similar areas have been dealt with in other European cities.