IMPACT OF AGGLOMERATIONS ON SOCIAL, AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF NEIGHBOURING MUNICIPALITIES

Abstract

The main research objective was to define the intensity of migration processes in metropolitan areas, and highlight the scale of deagrarisation processes in neighbouring regions where agricultural functions are on the decline. The article presents the dynamics of changes related to the number of agricultural farms located in suburban areas in the years 1996-2010. It also includes an analysis of population flows between the city and the countryside. The study covers 4 agglomerations – Warszawa, Kraków, Wrocław and Poznań – and includes all the municipalities adjacent to the abovementioned cities. The study is based on data from the last three Agricultural Censuses and resources from the Local Data Bank. The data was used to create linear models illustrating tendency and dynamics indicators. In each of the agglomerations, it is possible to observe a visible decrease in the number of agricultural farms, whereas this phenomenon is the most conspicuous in municipalities located around Warszawa and Kraków. This points to increased dynamics of urbanisation processes with regard to major cities in Poland. Detailed analysis points to the concentration of capital and the related departure from the agricultural function in municipalities located in the direct vicinity of main transit routes. The analysis of population flows reveals that the dominant direction of migration is towards suburban municipalities. Apart from accessibility in terms of transport, the most significant factors, when it comes to making decisions on where to settle, include the attractive landscape and outstanding natural features of neighbouring municipalities. Models of trend estimation developed for individual municipalities, which describe the extent of migration from cities to neighbouring municipalities, expressly point to the increasing degree of this phenomenon. The greatest flow in this direction was observed in the years 2008-2010.