Less important space? Spatial planning in small towns in Poland

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the condition of spatial planning in small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship in Poland (urban municipalities up to 20,000 inhabitants) taking into account the analytical background in the form of a set of small towns (urban municipalities) in Poland. The authors posed the following research questions: (Q1) How up-to-date is the strategic planning document Study of conditions and directions of spatial development (SCDSDs) in small towns? (Q2) What is the coverage of small towns with local spatial development plans (LSDPs) and is it sufficient, and to what degree are decisions on development conditions (DCs) used in spatial planning in small towns? (Q3) What is the opinion of the inhabitants of a small town (Lipno) about spatial planning and public participation in the planning process conducted in the city in which they live? To achieve the aim of the study, the authors conducted a three-stage study consisting of a qualitative and a quantitative part. In the qualitative part, an assessment was conducted of the topicality of the Studies of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development (SCDSDs) of small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. In the quantitative part, we analysed and evaluated statistical data from the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland concerning local spatial development plans (LSDPs) and decisions on development conditions (DCs) in small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. At this stage, a questionnaire was also carried out using the Paper and Pencil Interview + Computer Assisted Web Interview (PAPI+CAWI) method, addressed to the community of the town of Lipno. The research shows that the problems in small towns are: low topicality of SCDSDs, and in the vast majority of the small towns analysed – very low LSDP coverage. These municipalities also issue the largest number of DCs, which exacerbates the spatial chaos. The questionnaire survey shows that residents are interested in issues related to the shaping of urban space, but indicate a lack of adequate knowledge on spatial planning, which lowers their participation in the process. They also recognise the great importance of spatial planning in socio-economic development, which translates into quality of life.