Deconcentration of Industrial Activity as a Constituent of Sustainable Urban Development in a Post-Socialist City: A Case Study of Wroclaw, Poland

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This manuscript exhibits a coherent logical flow and a well-structured framework, rendering it a comprehensive and publishable manuscript. I have only one minor suggestion: the migration of industrial entities is actually correlated with regional economic development. In Figure 6, the author solely focuses on the migration process of industrial entities without analyzing its connection to actual regional economic development. Therefore, I recommend supplementing the manuscript with relevant descriptions in this regard.

Author Response

Dear Reviewers,

thank you for your insightful feedback on our manuscript. Below, you will find your comments in italics, and our responses marked in green. We believe that our revisions enhanced the scientific rigor of our study and provided greater depth to our results.

Best regards,

Dominik Sikorski

Piotr Kryczka

 

Review no. 1:

This manuscript exhibits a coherent logical flow and a well-structured framework, rendering it a comprehensive and publishable manuscript. I have only one minor suggestion: the migration of industrial entities is actually correlated with regional economic development. In Figure 6, the author solely focuses on the migration process of industrial entities without analyzing its connection to actual regional economic development. Therefore, I recommend supplementing the manuscript with relevant descriptions in this regard.

Thank you for your comments. We supplemented the manuscript with a relevant description of relevant economic development, which also influence the potential migrations (lines: 294-303).

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors!

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to Sustainability journal. On the whole, your work is quite sound and well written, I would only like to propose some questions, dilemmas etc.

-I suggest the authors to emphasize the research goal more clearly in the abstract.

- Please care about word repetitions, typos, unnecessary spaces. E.g.deindustrialization, " deconcentration  began"

-analysis of CLC (Corine Land Cover Data) offers great research result pontentials

-I think authors should underpin the considerations behind selecting Wroclaw as a study area. It's obvious that you are locals, but is Wroclaw a special city to analyse the urban phenomenoms or not? Are there any major differences between Wroclaw and e.g. Krakow? -> P. S: You underline at the end of discussion the following: "this type of deconcentration is relatively common". -> So you confirm the main processes on Wroclaws example.

-It is not univocal for me (forgive my ignorance) the identification of industrial areas. Are all sites marked in the databases as to what function they have?

-Can it be said, that industrial expansion in Wroclaw is generated by greenfield investments? If not, then what kind of constructions can be observed?

-Visual representation of the results is excellent!

-What is the main trend of Wroclaws urban development? Reindustralization, or..?

-If Bielanski junction is that important, please provide a map of it.

-As for the conclusions: in my POV, I think the diffusion of industrial areas are not very favorable in environmental aspects. You should care about enviromental effects e.g. decreasing biocapacity, increasing air pollution etc.

 

Author Response

Dear Reviewers,

thank you for your insightful feedback on our manuscript. Below, you will find your comments in italics, and our responses marked in green. We believe that our revisions enhanced the scientific rigor of our study and provided greater depth to our results.

Best regards,

Dominik Sikorski

Piotr Kryczka

 

 

Review no. 2:

Dear Authors!

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to Sustainability journal. On the whole, your work is quite sound and well written, I would only like to propose some questions, dilemmas etc.

 

-I suggest the authors to emphasize the research goal more clearly in the abstract.

Thank you for your comment. We clarify the research goal and methods in the abstract (lines 16-19).

 

- Please care about word repetitions, typos, unnecessary spaces. E.g.deindustrialization, " deconcentration  began"

Thank you for your comment. We reviewed the manuscript once again and corrected the mentioned shortcomings.

 

-analysis of CLC (Corine Land Cover Data) offers great research result pontentials

Thank you for your comment. Certainly, we acknowledge and concur with this assertion. Currently, our emphasis has been on the utilization of cartographic sources to investigate alterations in industrial spatial structures. Simultaneously, we are currently conducting research employing databases such as the analysis of Corine Land Cover (CLC), the Urban Atlas, or LiDAR data to delve deeper into the subject matter of industrial entities. Furthermore, the utilization of CLC data necessitates the application of distinct analytical methods that may not align precisely with the change detection techniques employed with cartographic sources used in our study. Please, follow our ResearchGate profiles for further updates.

 

-I think authors should underpin the considerations behind selecting Wroclaw as a study area. It's obvious that you are locals, but is Wroclaw a special city to analyse the urban phenomenoms or not? Are there any major differences between Wroclaw and e.g. Krakow? -> P. S: You underline at the end of discussion the following: "this type of deconcentration is relatively common". -> So you confirm the main processes on Wroclaws example.

Thank you for your feedback. We have expanded the description of our study area to include a justification for selecting Wroclaw (lines 114-121). Furthermore, we have incorporated additional literature sources that draw comparisons between Wroclaw and other cities, including Krakow. Please, see the Discussion section in lines 348-367.

 

-It is not univocal for me (forgive my ignorance) the identification of industrial areas. Are all sites marked in the databases as to what function they have?

In Subsection 2.2, we elucidate our methodological approach for the study. As described in the manuscript, our methodology entailed acquiring topographic maps spanning five decades from the 1980s. Subsequently, we georeferenced these maps and meticulously identified all discernible industrial sites. These maps were equipped with conventional topographical symbology, facilitating the distinction of industrial functions from other land covers. Notably, the maps from the most recent period were supplemented with additional metadata, which greatly aided in our identification of industrial sites. To summarize, our utilization of the cartographic map change detection method provided us with a straightforward means of extracting industrial sites.

 

-Can it be said, that industrial expansion in Wroclaw is generated by greenfield investments? If not, then what kind of constructions can be observed?

Given the primary objective of our study, which was the delineation of spatial patterns associated with industrial sites, our focus was directed towards ascertaining the size and precise locations of this land cover. Notably, during this analytical phase, we successfully substantiated the occurrence of deconcentration processes among industrial entities. This finding constitutes a crucial milestone for delving further into discussions pertaining to spatial dynamics within the broader industrial sector. We recognize that while it is pertinent to explore this research question in more depth, the breadth and depth of this issue warrant a dedicated scientific paper, as each research endeavour should ideally centre on a specific and well-defined question to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the subject at hand. As we mentioned before, we are currently engaged in the development of subsequent papers, where we intend to adopt a dynamic approach to the analysis of land cover changes. This approach will particularly emphasize changes within the industrial sector and changes between other functions. However, we acknowledge that this analytical process is considerably more intricate due to the necessity of comparing and standardizing various databases. In our preliminary observations, we have already discerned two distinct processes occurring in the suburban zone and within the city itself. In the urban core, industrial sites are experiencing widespread transformation into residential developments. Conversely, the suburban zone actively promotes greenfield investments, often supported by local spatial planning practices that may, at times, seem less rational.

 

-Visual representation of the results is excellent!

Thank you for your comment.

 

-What is the main trend of Wroclaws urban development? Reindustralization, or..?

We assume that the functional urban area of Wroclaw is currently undergoing concurrent processes of suburbanization and re-urbanization, albeit with distinct patterns based on their specific functional characteristics. Furthermore, these functions, including industrial ones, are undergoing changes in terms of their structural composition, size, and market-driven demands, among other factors. Consequently, providing a definitive answer to this question is a complex endeavour, especially when relying solely on the results obtained in this study. Our research has successfully substantiated the occurrence of deindustrialization processes within the city of Wroclaw, coupled with the migration of industry towards its administrative boundaries. Nevertheless, industrial sites still persist within the city's core, although their structure is evolving towards more environmentally sustainable green industrial developments. The interpretation can significantly vary based on the scale of analysis. At a regional level, it may appear that a reindustrialization trend is underway. However, when adopting a more localized approach, particularly within distinct urban units in the city and its surrounding areas, the dynamics of industrial change become far more nuanced and complex. Given the multifaceted nature of these spatial and functional changes, we believe that conducting studies of this kind necessitates an interdisciplinary team comprising geographers, economists, sociologists, and urban planners. This collaborative approach would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at play in urban areas and their development stage.

 

-If Bielanski junction is that important, please provide a map of it.

A development map of Bielanski junction is provided (Fig. 7).

 

-As for the conclusions: in my POV, I think the diffusion of industrial areas are not very favorable in environmental aspects. You should care about enviromental effects e.g. decreasing biocapacity, increasing air pollution etc.

Thank you for your comment. We included an additional reference in the discussion section regarding the growth of industrial areas in the suburban zone and its environmental effects in Wroclaw functional area (lines 380-387).

 

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors made an interesting study on the industrial deconcentration in a post-socialist city, however, some of the results need further explanation, which are as follows.

1.   Introduction: the authors need to supplement the review of existing studies under the research topic, rather than just listing relevant authors (e.g., Lines 63-67, Lines 68-70). At the same time, it is necessary to further explain the necessity of this study and the limitations of the existing research.

2.   Discussion: The discussion section lacks depth and is too simplistic. On the one hand, it is suggested that the authors make a quantitative analysis of the driving factors for the evolution of industrial sites, industrial land cover and industrial entities in the Wroclaw agglomeration by combining the data of traffic network, economy and population. On the other hand, although this manuscript is based on a case study, the discussion part still needs to make a further analysis on the law of urban evolution of the other post-socialist cities based on the obtained results.

3.   Conclusions: there are some contents in this section that should not be in the conclusion, such as Lines 316-328, Lines 341-342, which should be moved to the discussion section.

4.   Please make a further explanation of the potential periods of intensified industrial deconcentration of Wroclaw in the Discussion section, as the author mentioned in Lines 81-82.

Author Response

Dear Reviewers,

thank you for your insightful feedback on our manuscript. Below, you will find your comments in italics, and our responses marked in green. We believe that our revisions enhanced the scientific rigor of our study and provided greater depth to our results.

Best regards,

Dominik Sikorski

Piotr Kryczka

 

 

Review no. 3:

The authors made an interesting study on the industrial deconcentration in a post-socialist city, however, some of the results need further explanation, which are as follows.

1.   Introduction: the authors need to supplement the review of existing studies under the research topic, rather than just listing relevant authors (e.g., Lines 63-67, Lines 68-70). At the same time, it is necessary to further explain the necessity of this study and the limitations of the existing research.

Thank you for your comment. We expanded the review of existing studies and provided more information about the necessity and limitations of our research in the Introduction section. We hope this enhance the scientific soundness and clarity of our paper (lines 63-83, 96-104).

 

2.   Discussion: The discussion section lacks depth and is too simplistic. On the one hand, it is suggested that the authors make a quantitative analysis of the driving factors for the evolution of industrial sites, industrial land cover and industrial entities in the Wroclaw agglomeration by combining the data of traffic network, economy and population. On the other hand, although this manuscript is based on a case study, the discussion part still needs to make a further analysis on the law of urban evolution of the other post-socialist cities based on the obtained results.

Thank you for your comment. As highlighted in the Introduction, there remains a substantial gap in the literature concerning the dynamic approach to the development of industrial sites. Nevertheless, we have enriched the Discussion section by drawing comparisons between our research findings and those of similar studies conducted in CEE cities (lines 348-367).

 

3.  Conclusions: there are some contents in this section that should not be in the conclusion, such as Lines 316-328, Lines 341-342, which should be moved to the discussion section.

Thank you for your comment. We moved the mentioned lines to the Discussion section and also enhanced it by including a comparison with the current state of the art.

 

4.   Please make a further explanation of the potential periods of intensified industrial deconcentration of Wroclaw in the Discussion section, as the author mentioned in Lines 81-82.

Thank you for your comment. We expanded the Discussion section to provide a more comprehensive explanation of the study's limitations (388-401).

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors have made acceptable revisions on their manuscript and addressed my comments and concerns. I have no further comments.