A Tram Line In Residential Structures – Planning Mistake or Necessity?

The renovation and opening of tram lines in Polish cities in recent years provoke comparisons with similar practice and long tradition abroad. The subject of this article is the spatial relationship between multi-family residential complexes and a tram line. Of course, the solutions adopted differ from each other, but there is a clear trend in the West to bring both elements closer to each other, despite the environmental costs that rail lines cause. In the model approach, there are numerous cases of planning the route through the “centre of structures”, which creates conditions for symbiosis in terms of “transit oriented development” (TOD). Sometimes it appears in the classic form of intensive building up provoked by the earlier construction of the tram, and sometimes in a reversed form - with retrofitting tram into previously existing structures. Sometimes there are mixed cases, with structural infills next to tram corridors – not always just residential, but often with service facilities, complementing the program of housing estates and districts aimed to capitalise on the economic potential which results from the presence of tram users. Infilling the tram line strips fosters the creation of a friendly urban environment and shortens the access routes. How space overscaling and overly dominant traffic are avoided is decisive for a good solution to the problem. Numerous examples could serve as a model for Polish cities.