Economic Consequences of Adopting Local Spatial Development Plans for the Spatial Management System: The Case of Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński,Małgorzata Blaszke,Paweł Sudra,Magdalena Załęczna,Maciej Nowak

doi:10.3390/land10020112

Abstract

The spatial management system in Poland struggles with serious costs as a consequence of local planning. The problem is the lack of appropriate value capturing mechanisms and cost compensation for municipalities, along with significant burdens. Private property is subject to special protection, but the public good is less valued. The article attempts to assess the situation in Poland, recalling also the experiences of spatial management systems from other European countries. It combines legal, economic, and geographical perspectives. The specific objectives were demonstration of geographical (interregional and functional) regularities related to the economic (financial) consequences of adopting local plans and identification of financial effects resulting from the implementation of local plans in communes, i.e., in particular, their size, structure of revenues (income), and expenditures, in relations with the budgets of municipalities and the population living in communes. First, the determinants of spatial policy were defined in the context of institutional economics and the real estate market. Then, a unique database of forecasted and realized budgetary revenues and expenditures of 2477 communes in Poland related to spatial development (infrastructure construction, land transformation, purchase, etc.) was analyzed statistically. Additionally, for five selected communes of different functional types, this issue was examined in detail. It has been shown that municipalities do not derive adequate income from spatial development, and improper policy of local self-governments results in heavy burdens, threatening to disturb their financial balance. The formulated conclusions regarding the legal, economic, and spatial mechanisms may contribute to building tools (instruments) for more effective spatial management in various countries.

Highlights

Poland seems to be an interesting example because of the complicated and inefficient spatial planning system, generating costs estimated at the level of at least EUR 20 billion per year [16]. They include the impact of spatial chaos on the real estate market. Against this introductory background and problem formulation, the objectives of the article are the demonstration of geographical regularities related to the economic consequences of adopting local spatial development plans, and the identification of financial effects resulting from the implementation of local plans in municipalities, i.e., in particular, their size, structure of revenues, and expenditures, in relation with the municipal budgets and the population living in communes
We present Polish experiences concerning the economic consequences of adopting local plans, which make up the essential empirical part of the article
Forecasted revenues and expenses related to the adoption of local plans, which are specified in the obligatory documents entitled “Financial impact forecast of a local spatial development plan”, and realized revenues and expenses relating to the above forecasts

Summary

Introduction

The spatial management system and the use of spatial policy tools must always be related to the conditions existing in the real estate market. These institutions are interdependent with each other. Geographical areas (territories) should be covered by legal acts regulating land destination principles, and the use of the local planning practice should complement their function. If this regulatory role of spatial planning is not fully realized, there is a scope for spatial conflicts to arise [1]

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