The Potential of GIS Tools for Diagnosing the SFS of Multi-Family Housing towards Friendly Cities—A Case Study of the EU Member State of Poland

Abstract

Motives: The need for sustainable urban development, including an improvement in residents’ quality of life, requires ongoing urban diagnostics. Assessments of multi-family housing estates play a very important role in this process. Population growth influences the expansion of housing estates in limited urban space. The extent to which spatial and functional structures (SFS) in housing developments meet the residents’ current needs should be evaluated. These needs undergo dynamic change and are influenced by economic, socio-cultural, sanitary, and ecological factors. Aim: The main objective of this study was to develop a methodology for assessing SFS solutions in open spaces in multi-family residential estates (MFREs) based on a complete list of SFS indicators, and to determine the potential of GIS tools and selected open data sources for automating this process. GIS was used to represent data. The intermediate goal was to determine differences in the SFS solutions of two MFREs that were built with different technologies and urban layouts in the last 70 years in the city of Olsztyn (Poland). Methods: An empirical study was conducted with the use of qualitative and quantitative methods based on a review of the literature, the results of a resident survey, and an analysis of spatial data in ArcGIS and QGIS software. Results: The residents’ needs for SFS in MFREs were identified. A list of 26 SFS indicators and their values (on a 3-point scale) was developed to assess multi-family housing. The applicability of GIS software and spatial data from the national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI) and other sources was assessed in the process. The research method was tested to reveal differences in SFS solutions in the compared MFREs.