Road transport is one among the sources of air pollution in a city, which results in lowering the comfort of life and increases the occurrence of respiratory diseases. The level of pollutants emitted in the city is variable, and it depends on the type and nature of the source and the manner of land development. For this reason, the purpose of the article is an attempt at a spatial (inner) diversification of a city in terms of air quality, using a study of perception and semantic differentials (SD). The research, which covered the period from June to November 2021, was performed in Kielce—the Polish Smart City—among local experts, people well acquainted with the city and knowledgeable about air quality and the impact of pollution on human health. The results allowed the demarcation of areas with the best and the worst parameters in terms of air quality within the city. Verification of the survey was carried out using the ADMS-Roads (Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling System) software for modeling pollution levels and GIS software, using data on road traffic. The verification allowed checking whether the respondents participating in the research accurately evaluated the city space. The modeling proved that within the two selected areas, the pollution level is similar, and it does not exceed the permitted values. This might indicate that in society there is still low awareness of air quality, particularly in terms of knowing the sources of pollutants and their impact on human health, and perception of areas with the best and the worst air quality was the result of an analysis of the manner of land development and its morphology.

The air pollution of our planet is rising, and the contribution of road transport to global pollution has a serious impact on this phenomenon. Previous papers have analysed and recommended measures to reduce road transport’s negative environmental impact and carbon footprint. However, some restrictions are impossible (or very costly) to meet, even in developed countries. Unfortunately, presenting the impact of transport on air pollution levels as a whole can only give a general picture. This paper provides a more detailed analysis and attempts to assess the impact of one of the most important elements shaping modern transport, that is, vehicle engine types. Thus, the main objective of the study is to analyse and evaluate the different types of engines in vehicles from the point of view of technical, environmental, and economic aspects in European countries and to verify whether Europe is ready to implement the European Green Deal. The results indicate significant technological developments must occur in electric vehicles to become environmentally better than combustion engine-based cars. Additionally, in the case of some developing countries, owning a means of transport is still perceived as a symbol of a certain status, which is why it is still an important material asset. Thus, in rich countries, material status and environmental awareness (e.g. choice of public transport) will help to achieve climate neutrality, while poorer countries (even developed ones) may have severe problems in meeting EU requirements. Overall, while answering some questions, this article also poses new ones. Decision-makers often face challenging aspects. This article is intended to give them a basic knowledge to pursue an environmental policy that is viable and feasible for all countries.

One of the assumptions of the draft of the Act on Urban Planning and Construction Code is to strengthen social participation in creating spatial policies at all levels of planning. As part of the conducted research, a questionnaire was designed for the purposes of this article. The research was carried out on people who took part in the expositions of Local Spatial Development Plans (LSDP) and public discussions taking place in the communes of Siemianowice Śląskie and Pszów. The conducted questionnaire inquiry pointed to the low level of public awareness regarding procedures, as well as the lack of understanding of these documents due to the illegible form of the presentation of the approved local plans provided by the Act on planning and spatial development. Only 26% of the respondents declared to have good knowledge of the procedures for developing and approving local plans. The draft of the Urban and Construction Code Act, which is to replace the mentioned act, provides for a substantiation of the LSDP that may contain a visualization presenting the local plan regulations in a graphic manner, understandable to people who do not have technical knowledge, including digitally excluded persons. The conducted inquiry has shown that more than half of all respondents admitted that the usage of both a large-scale map and an orthophotomap as a cartographic background for the visualization of LSDP findings was by far the most legible. The proposed solutions can be introduced directly into the regulation on the detailed rules for the preparation of spatial planning acts. The statutory delegation for its issue was included in article 243 of the Act on Urban Planning and Construction Code draft published on 23rd November 2017 on the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Construction.

The paper presents the usage of several methods for estimation of the spatial distribution of error in GRID 2.5D Digital Terrain Models. Most of them allow generating error and its standard deviation spatial distribution maps in many configurations depending on a number of parameters. An attempt has been made at developing a comparative algorithm to select the variant for which the best results were obtained. Moreover, it can be applied to compare different methods with each over. A prerequisite is the possession of reference data for which their faultlessness can be assumed. Research has shown that empirical formulas are the most universal method for estimating spatial accuracy of DTMs.

The paper contains the results of verification of the usefulness of quasi-geoid models distributed with GNSS receivers on the example of Trimble R6 and South S82-T systems. As reference points geodetic control networks of 2nd and 3rd class were used. Comparing the normal heights H determined on the basis of precise levelling and GNSS measurement using the quasigeoid models, it was found that not all provided models meet the accuracy requirements set by the current provisions of law. The elevation survey using the GNSS method must therefore be preceded by the receiver's vertical calibration or usage of the verified quasi-geoid model. This approach can be implemented directly during field measurement using the functions of GNSS receiver or in the office with computer software.

In recent years, the problem of air pollution in cities has significantly increased. According to the latest ranking published by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 36 Polish urban centres among 50 European cities with the highest concentration of PM_2.5 particulate matter. In order to improve the situation, corrective and preventive actions can be taken. The first of these mainly include the shift towards more ecological fuels and increasing the biologically active area. The second group includes, among others optimizing existing planning documents. From the point of view of the location of buildings, in particular industrial plants, the most favourable are the highest areas, where the dust generated as a result of fuel combustion can be dispersed much faster. Unfortunately, the applicable provisions of Polish law do not impose an obligation to include terrain elevation in spatial planning. The growing problem of smog has stimulated the analysis of planning documents for selected Polish cities from the list published by the WHO taking DTM into consideration. First of all, on the basis of DTM, three zones (unfavourable, advantageous and very favourable) were determined for each of the test areas from the point of view of the location of buildings. Then an index was established, which was called the Elevation Planning Potential that allows to determine whether and to what extent there are possibilities to make beneficial changes from the point of view of air quality in planning documents taking into account the terrain shape. It takes into consideration both information from DTM and data determined on the basis of urban planning documents covering the existing development and land-use as well as planned spatial development directions. The solutions developed can significantly improve the air quality in cities by optimizing the location of new buildings. In this paper the results are presented for the Żywiec commune.