In areas characterized by high population density and a concentration of manufacturing activities, which industrial regions undoubtedly are, numerous transport needs are identified in terms of the movement of goods and people. Any disruptions in the functioning of transport affect the lives of millions of people, but also the operations of many economic entities located in a given area. Therefore, ensuring optimal transport service, while taking into account the social context of transport activities, becomes a major challenge. Industrial regions can play an extremely important role on the logistics map of Europe, concentrating a large part of the country’s transport and logistics infrastructure in their area and acting as hubs – both in the transport of goods and people. The development of the logistics sector is also part of the trend of transformational changes, proceeding according to the scenario from polluted industrial regions to modern regions based on service activities, which are engines of growth not only for their immediate surroundings but also for the entire country. The analysis of the transport systems of the Ruhr Area and the Upper Silesian conurbation, with particular emphasis on rail transport, provides a starting point for identifying similarities and differences and indicating solutions that can be mutually adopted.
Characteristics of the areas covered by the study
The Ruhr Area (in German Ruhrgebiet – the name comes from the Ruhr river) is an area located in North Rhine-Westphalia, characterized by a concentration of mining and industrial activity. The largest cities are Essen (578,000 inhabitants, 2,751 people/sq km), Dortmund (582,000 inhabitants, 2,076 people/sq km), Duisburg (493,000 inhabitants, 2,116 people/sq km), and Bochum (377,000 inhabitants, 2,593 people/sq km). For some time now, metropolization trends have been clearly visible in this area, which in the institutional sphere are manifested in the creation of the municipal association Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet, subsequently renamed Regionalverband Ruhr (Regional Association of the Ruhr Area). It is worth noting that in the immediate vicinity of the Ruhr Area, there are such large cities as Cologne, Bonn, and Dusseldorf – together forming one of the largest urban complexes in Europe.
The Silesian conurbation, on the other hand, is located in the central part of the Silesian Voivodeship and consists of a dozen or so cities, with Katowice (312,000 inhabitants, 1,892 people/sq km) at the forefront. Other major cities are: Sosnowiec (223,000 inhabitants, 2,446 people/sq km), Gliwice (197,000 inhabitants, 1,473 people/sq km), Zabrze (189,000 inhabitants, 2,363 people/sq km), and Bytom (185,000 inhabitants, 2,678 people/sq km). The authorities of 14 cities, associated in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union (GZM), strive to obtain the status of a metropolis for this area and to increase its importance on the national and international stage.
The term Upper Silesian Industrial District is also often used as an area with a particularly high degree of concentration of industrial activity. Regardless of how the area of the Upper Silesian conurbation is delimited and which cities are assigned to it as a result, the article expresses the view that the conurbation consists of 19 cities. Due to the ongoing transformations of both local economies and the definition of a new image for these areas, the names Metropolia Ruhr (Metropolie Ruhr) and Metropolia Silesia, referring to the 14 GZM cities, are being popularized. Both names, regardless of their degree of formalization and validation, allow for the unambiguous identification of the regions they concern.
A joint analysis of both transport systems is purposeful due to the numerous similarities and analogies occurring between both regions, which are synthetically presented in Table 1. The number of inhabitants of the largest cities is presented in Figure 1.
The essence of the similarity is manifested in the industrial-mining character of these areas, which, despite the development of other industries, is still noticeable in the local economy. The dynamic development of both centers occurred in the 19th century, when capital and investment funds began to be located in areas rich in mineral resources. The development of industry became a strong stimulus for urbanization processes, as a result of which numerous settlement units with high population density were created. Over time, they expanded, forming a specific layout (conurbation). The proper functioning of the economy in these organisms was dependent precisely on the development and appropriately shaping transport systems.
The article comes from the journal “Logistyka” 5/2010.