Less important space? Spatial planning in small towns in Poland

The object of this article is to analyze and asses the legal and economic consequences arising from the adoption (or change) of a local spatial development plan. The paper also presents, based on the example of the rural commune of Tomice in the Malopolska Province of Poland, how to estimate income to the commune budget from the collected planning fees. The analyses are based on planning studies, including the local spatial development plan from 2004, and the study of conditions and directions of spatial development from 2012. The council of Tomice Commune adopted the local spatial plan due to the increasing demand for residential areas. According to the plan, over 930 acres of land have been allocated for investment purposes, which is approx. 22.4% of the total area of 4,155 ha. The local plan was developed for all the six cadastral units of the commune, with one hundred percent surface coverage. The physiographic conditions and the location of Tomice Commune encourage the settlement of the urban population (from Wadowice or Krakow), which entails the need for housing investment areas. In 2012, the Tomice Commune adopted a change in the study of conditions and directions of spatial development. The proposed re-zoning of the area is in line with the policy of transitioning from an agricultural character towards the sustainable and multifunctional development of the commune. It is worth noting that the provisions of the plan of 2004 take into account the collection of a one-time fee for the sale of real estate whose value has increased as a result of the adoption of the plan. The amount of this fee for investment areas was set at the level of 30% of the increase in value, in accordance with the provisions of the Polish Act on Spatial Planning and Management. Due to the fact that the currently valid local plan has been in effect for 10 years, it can be assumed that the commune will proceed to make some changes to it. The article estimates the potentially generated income, assuming that changes in the study passed in 2012 with regards to designating land for investment purposes constitute an indication of provisions in the future local plan.

We have analysed to what degree spatial planning is used as a tool for preserving and developing biophilia in Polish spa towns. In order to achieve the aim of the article, we analysed documents: studies of conditions and directions of spatial development and local spatial development plans. This was supplemented by spatial analyses of the share of green areas in the total area of each town, and the coverage of green areas and spa protection zone A with local spatial development plans. The research has shown that while the structure of studies of conditions and directions of spatial development theoretically provide a good basis for planning policies that take biophilia into account, real actions fail to deliver. The main problem is the inadequate coverage of green areas with local spatial development plans, which poses a real threat that these terrains will be transformed and lose their biophilic potential. Also, not all analysed centres have fulfilled the requirement of obligatory coverage of spa zone A with local spatial development plans. Therefore, we have observed an increase in the number of issued decisions on development conditions, which are one of the main reasons for the disintegration of Polish space.

Idea miast partnerskich jest koncepcją rozwijaną od czasu zakończenia II wojny światowej. W jej ramach miasta realizują wspólne cele gospodarcze, społeczne czy kulturowe. Do tej pory współpraca partnerska między miastami opisywana była głównie w kontekście miast dużych i średnich. W niniejszym artykule wypełniono lukę w badaniach współpracy międzynarodowej miast małych. Celem opracowania jest określenie ilościowego i przestrzennego wymiaru partnerstw zawartych przez wybrane małe miasta (od 10 000 do 15 000 mieszkańców) w Polsce. Ponadto dokonano oceny znaczenia współpracy partnerskiej oraz zakresu oddziaływania idei miast partnerskich na funkcjonowanie i rozwój małego miasta na przykładzie Nowego Miasta Lubawskiego. Wykazano, że analizowane małe miasta różnicują się pod względem liczby zawartych umów partnerskich, a najczęstszymi partnerami są miasta z najbliższej przestrzeni geograficznej – Niemiec, Czech i Ukrainy. Analiza treści umów partnerskich wskazuje, że cele nawiązywanej współpracy świadczą o bardzo dużym znaczeniu partnerstw dla małych miast w Polsce.

The main aim of the author was to analyse the population changes of small towns in Poland between 2002 and 2012. Small towns’ reaction to the global and regional demographic trends confirms their position between the rural areas and the urban municipalities. The differences between separate towns are significant, however those located within the metropolitan areas in Poland show a positive population dynamics, natural growth and migration balance net indexes. The image of small towns in terms of demographic changes is for that reason adequate to their socio-economic situation. However the question of the development of small satellite towns is asked as the functions are often leached to the core areas of the metropolis. The emerging problem of the depopulation of the vast majority of towns is also stressed in the paper. The depopulation types (in Webb typology) concern nearly 72% of all Polish small towns.

Purpose:The study aims to determine the level of investment attractiveness of small towns in Poland in terms of labour resources.Design/Methodology/Approach: The study spanned over period 2017-2019, and relied on the Hellwig method which allowed to structure a synthetic metric for small towns and order them linearly.The research covered 705 small towns in Poland.Quantitative data retrieved from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office was used in structuring the metric.Findings: It was proved that from the perspective of investors small towns in Poland are diverse areas in terms of labour resources and the size of small urban centres has no influence on their attractiveness.Spatial analysis conducted as part of the research showed, i.a., that the most attractive labour resources were found in small towns in the central part of the country (the Wielkopolskie and Mazowieckie voivodships).Practical Implications: The above studies may provide some guidance for local governments and public aid managers in Poland.This allows to draw an important conclusion on future measures to be taken in small towns.If they are supposed to fully perform their key functions, a dedicated development policy for the smallest Polish towns must be put in place.This is of particular importance in view of the situation of small towns in Eastern Poland and of small towns located far away from large cities.Originality/Value: The results of the analysis and theoretical considerations in the article complement previous research in the field of small towns.

The background of the research conducted for this article is the increasing activity of real estate developers in the centres of Polish cities in recent years. Wrocław was chosen as one of the fastest-developing cities in Poland. The aim of the study was to identify the approach of planning authorities to urban densification in the provisions of local spatial development plans adopted between 2010 and 2024. The research included an analysis of 95 local spatial development plans with regard to the urban density indicators contained in them. Based on an analysis of planning activity in the city centre of Wrocław between 2010 and 2024, the extent to which the process of urban densification is planned and controlled – on the basis of binding local spatial development plans – was determined. The study revealed that local plans are used both to establish a framework for the densification of the built environment and to prevent undesirable densification. Urban densification strategies present in the planning documents were identified. As a result of the analysis, an original classification of local plans into four categories was proposed, each reflecting a different approach to the densification process.

Historical sites may be found in nearly all small towns in Poland. Some are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the role of these resources in the broader set of elements shaping the tourism potential of towns, and also to illustrate the regional differences among small towns in Poland in terms of their potential to develop a local or regional tourism sector. The study provides a typology of towns based on local natural and landscape elements, cultural heritage resources as well as hotels and other tourist accommodations. The statistical data discussed in this paper was obtained from the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland for the period 2012–2014, while historical sites were chosen from the National Heritage Board of Poland. The study covers all small towns in Poland and has shown unequivocally that the presence of a historical site is not necessarily a factor in the overall development of a local tourism sector. The cultural resources appear to be an undervalued asset, which can be used to develop a local tourism sector, especially in towns which are searching for new development paths.

Small towns in Poland - barriers and factors of growth

Urban greenery is an indispensable component of urban composition and can be an effective tool for solving problems related to shaping and organising urban spaces. For the proper functioning of green areas, however, it is necessary to combine them into a functional system, which must be reflected in spatial planning documents. The most effective protection of urban green areas can be ensured by appropriate provisions in local spatial development plans. The aim of the paper is to assess the significance of local spatial development plans for Poland in shaping green areas. The number of local spatial development plans in individual voivodships in the years 2009 - 2017 will be analysed. Keywords: Green areas, landscape spatial plans, sustainable development.

The zoning fee constitutes a public levy paid to the commune by the owners or perpetual users of properties. The purpose of the zoning fee is to compensate for the costs incurred by the local government units due to the adoption or change of the local spatial development plans. The subject fee may be collected pursuant to the provisions of local law if the market value of the property increased due to the implementation of a new or amended local spatial development plan. It should be observed that the zoning fee is an element of settlements between the commune and entities, whose property value changed with the adoption of the new local spatial development plan or change of the previous plan. The provisions do not clearly describe the legal nature of the zoning fee. Nonetheless, the public and legal status of the aforesaid fee was confirmed by judicial decisions. Since the commune is not the taxpayer, the fee constitutes its own income. It is due to the fact that the zoning fee does not follow from the Act and does not have an unpaid character. The obligation to pay the zoning fee is the result of a specific spatial policy of the commune. Even though they were the subject of many judicial decisions, the provisions of the Act on 27 March 2003 on Spatial Planning and Development referring to zoning fees still raise a lot of interpretation doubts as to their amount, date of payment or the very grounds for their existence. The objective of the article is to show the public and legal character of the aforesaid benefit. The author is trying to prove that such an institution is by all means necessary, but its structure requires certain amendments, which could be made using the test method in the form of an analysis of legal acts and selected judicial decisions.

Competitiveness is now considered one of the basic economic mechanisms. The phenomenon, which is originally associated with enterprises, has evolved beyond the initial research framework for many years. Currently, the competitiveness of regions or cities is considered a natural law of the modern economy. This phenomenon is primarily compared to the largest cities in terms of urban competitiveness. Competitiveness rankings identify the competitive position of capital cities, metropolises or global cities. It is less common for the scope of research to focus on the competitiveness of medium-sized and small towns. These entities also play a socioeconomic role in the local and regional systems, which should be considered in the context of competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of general competitiveness of small towns. The territorial scope covered 112 small towns in Poland. The time scope of the research included three research periods: 2004-2006, 2011-2013 and 2017-2019. To achieve the research objective, an approach was proposed that is based on the constructed Local Competitiveness Index (LCI). The results presented in this article provide a general approach to small towns’ competitiveness. It aims to identify the types of competitiveness of small towns based on sub-competitiveness scores. Based on the degree of integration of the social, economic and environmental aspects of competitiveness, eight types of competitiveness of small towns were identified. The results of the study indicated an improvement in the competitiveness of small towns and an increase in their integration. During the first adopted research period (2004–2006), there was a clear predominance of small towns in types representing partial or complete non-integration. In small urban centers, low integration was observed, regardless of their location in a particular part of the country. Between the years 2011–2013 and 2017–2019, favorable shifts were observed towards the types of partially integrated competitiveness (Types II, III, and IV) and integrated competitiveness (Type I).

Main goal of this work was analysis of social participation process during drawing up local spatial development plan. Local spatial development plan is basic document that regulate principles of zoning plans. His arrangements are complying requirements rules of spatial order and balanced development. Citizens are affected by local spatial development plans and that why it is so important that they could have possibility too participating in process of creating it. Problems connected in these work are really significant during planning and zoning space plans that are offend connected with appearing conflictual situations. Active and aware municipality inhabitants’ contribution in process of preparing local spatial development plan has a task to improve and prevent protests and local conflicts.

Spatial planning is one of the most important activities in the evolution of modern society. This process takes place in parallel and is interconnected with the strategic planning of communities and countries. As with other types of planning, spatial planning occurs at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The product of this activity should be a spatial plan that coordinates sectoral policies. The need of conducting a study on the state of spatial planning documentation in Ukraine is justified by the new territorial division of the country resulting from the successful decentralization reform. Furthermore, Ukraine was granted EU candidate status on June 23, 2022, thus prompting an additional need for such a study. The new Ukraine status creates new challenges and entails the obligation to bring all documents to EU standards. Taking into account the socio-economic problems and the intensive preparation of plans for postwar reconstruction in Ukraine, such studies will be highly appropriate. The integration of Ukraine into the European Union requires taking into account the experience of countries that have already reformed their strategic documents and plans in accordance with the EU’s internal demands. The experience of neighboring Poland, an EU member state, can be of most interest and use to Ukraine. The paper presents the current state of spatial planning in Ukraine, including an analysis of the legislative framework. The methods used in the study are described, and the selection of the research subject and the criteria for the selection are justified. The paper includes an analysis of the spatial planning system in Poland at the level of gminas and the availability of mandatory spatial planning documents. The subject of the research at the local level is Gmina Hodel. This gmina is located in the Lublin Voivodeship that borders on Ukraine. The analysis was focused on the Gmina Development Strategy, mandatory spatial planning documents, in particular the Local Spatial Development Plan, as well as the Local Strategy of Local Action Group which is an additional tool for local development. The paper underscores conformity and relationships between spatial planning documents at the local level.

The aim of this paper is to determine changes in the structure of demographic types of small towns in Poland between 2004 and 2013. It is assumed in the paper, following the Central Statistical Office of Poland, that small towns are urban settlements having less than 20,000 inhabitants. The time period covered in this study is the time of Poland’s accession to the EU, which brought reduction of many barriers on the labour market and in migration movement. Demographic types of small towns were determined using Webb’s typology. Natural increase and migration indicators constitute its base. It was found that the share of towns of progressive character decreased and the share of those of regressive character increased in the analyzed period. A negative migration balance had the greatest effect on the number of inhabitants of the analyzed settlement units. The described demographic changes in small towns in Poland were connected with the second stage of demographic transition.

Multifunctional allotment gardens are an important part of the green infrastructure of cities. In spite of this, they are given little attention in the plans and policies of cities. One of the major threats to the existence of allotment gardens within the spatial structure of cities is the pressure of investment, which results from an underestimation of the role of gardens. The task of preserving allotment gardens in the ecosystems of cities rests with the local spatial planning. Urban spatial policy towards allotment gardening is exemplified by the case study of Poznan. The bases for the analysis include the study of the conditions and directions of spatial planning, as the spatial policy document that sets forth the city and local spatial development plans, which are Acts of local laws.