MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING CONDITIONS OF THE POPULATION IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF THE WIELKOPOLSKIE VOIVODESHIP

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the housing conditions of the population living in rural and urban areas of Wielkopolska province communes. The multidimensional assessment of housing conditions was carried out using the TOPSIS method. The research drew on 2016 data published by the Central Statistical Office in the Local Data Bank. The housing conditions in rural areas of the Wielkopolska province were found to be significantly worse than in urban areas. Over 38% of all examined urban areas and only 5% of rural areas (mainly located in the Poznań Metropolitan Area) were classified as Class I with the highest level of housing conditions. Class IV – with the lowest level of housing conditions – included as many as 25% of rural areas and only one urban area located in a mixed, urban-rural commune. In many of the studies, dynamic, beneficial changes in housing conditions in rural areas are emphasized despite the continuous worse situation of rural areas compared to cities. However, due to the observed suburbanisation processes in rural areas in the vicinity of large urban agglomerations, it would be necessary to distinguish living transformations in these rural areas, from changes in housing conditions in rural areas that perform typical agricultural functions.