USE OF GIS FOR MODELLING OF RIGA CITY TERRITORY DEVELOPMENT

M.C. Cekule¹, I.G. Gailisa¹, G.B. Bicevska²

1 - University of Latvia, Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, Riga, Latvia

2 - Riga City Council, City Development Department, Riga, Latvia

maritacekule@inbox.lv

Due to the rapid development of urbanization on the global scale issue of the sustainable development of cities is becoming more urgent. In every city development plan these words are used, but what is does the situation look like in the reality? The Riga City case has taken as an example.

Understanding of interrelations, which are managing and affecting the city development, lets us forecast and model the development processes, though it is possible for quite a short-term. Sustainable development has its twofold flexibility in terms of space and time being an interaction between the society and the environment. Thus this research has to include a wide range of aspects.

The choice of development indicators and research includes analysis of processes and their monitoring in order to differentiate the long-term trends and short-term modifications, as well as to define the difference in the size of these changes. Different basic structures, as well as form and value indicators are used to illustrate the process of sustainable development with different level of data variety and complexity. By integration of GIS into the data basis, the process of spatial analysis and modelling has become quicker, more accessible and understandable to the decision-makers.

The research is based on the data of Riga City area, which is situated on the territory of a nature park. Already for several years there are discussions going on about preservation of this territory as the nature park in the future as well, i.e. not to allow its use for different purposes. One of the main problems of the chosen territory and also of the entire city is the preservation of variety in the greenery landscapes as well as the revitalization of the brownfield territories.

Aim of the research is:

1) to assess the territory from the environmental, economic, recreation, tourism and other aspects, as well as to forecast the possible future development possibilities of this territory;

2) to use the GIS spatial analysis for testing the established methodology by using it on a certain territory and to propose new recommendations for the development planning of the urban territories.

Data bases are created so that the dynamics of the territory development can be displayed starting from the year 1937. The research is based on several elaborated projects. During the research new layers of data have been created, e.g. territory functionality and other zonings, which are based on the digital maps, 3-D models of the territory (DEM, DTM, DSM), which are used for the analysis and modelling of the nature processes. The European Common Indicators, demographical data, economic indicators, etc. have been used.

When analysing the above-mentioned factors, the conclusion has been reached that the particular territory has to be preserved as the nature park. In the surroundings of the park intensive construction works are going on, thus this park would be a great place for the recreation of current and future inhabitants. The brownfields are located in close vicinity could be used as the office and living space, as there already is a well-developed infrastructure.