The Issue of Integration of Elevated Transport Routes in the Areas of Historic Polish Cities. Example of the Modernization of a Cross-City Railway Line in the Śródmieście District of Kraków

The aim of the article includes presentation and interdisciplinary analysis of design solutions proposed in the works awarded in the international urban architecture competition entitled “New life between flyovers” and concerning the area around the cross-city railway line, currently under modernization, running through the Śródmieście district in Kraków, from the area of Miodowa Street to the PKP Kraków Główny station. In the applications, possible scenarios of flyovers space development and the possibilities of integrating the transport route into the historic district have been assessed, taking into account historical urban relations and contemporary technical conditions. The analyses were aimed at optimising future investments so that they can become a starting point for public consultations, drafting a land development plan and determination of the development strategy for the studied area. The applied method may be helpful in determining the directions of a spatial policy aimed at the protection of cultural landscape endangered by overground transport routes.