Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

Transport is one of the most important greenhouse gas emitting sectors. It is the fourth largest sector in
terms of emissions globally. However, in highly developed countries its role is much greater, e.g. in the
USA and the European Union, its emissions are comparable to the energy sector which globally is the biggest
emmiter. Within the transport sector, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases is road transport, including
transport within urban areas. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should translate into appropriate
transport policy, including policy in urban areas. International organizations such as the International Energy
Agency (IEA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the European Environment
Agency (EEA) indicate that this policy should not only concern changing the energy source for transport, but
also about its structure. In cities, this structure is strongly related to spatial development structure. Therefore,
the reports of the above-mentioned organizations include recommendations regarding spatial and transport
policy. Their implementation is aimed at increasing the share of active mobility and public transport in urban
mobility. The article analyzes the spatial structure of three cities – Copenhagen, Vienna and Warsaw, whose
agglomerations are similar in terms of number of inhabitants and area. They are also share certain features of
the spatial structure, but there are significant differences between them if spatial planning policy and transport
structure are concerned. Copenhagen and Vienna have a fairly consistent spatial policy regarding the
transport that is oriented towards the development of active mobility and public transport. In Warsaw, on the
other hand, the spatial and transport policies are separated from each other. The article discusses the effects
of these differences in approach to spatial and transport policy.