Abstract
Green space is essential for the implementation of the idea of sustainable urban development. This paper contains original research on the implementation of local government tasks in the development of public green space. The aim of this research was to analyse the actions taken by the municipal authorities regarding the development of public green space, including the acquisition of real properties, the regulation of their legal status, as well as the adoption of planning and programme documents. The Polish Central Statistical Office data on the public green space of the largest cities in Poland were analysed in order to determine the dynamics of changes. Then, the focus was placed on Krakow, where the authors analysed in detail the distribution and type of urban green space as well as the actions taken by the Municipality to both extend it and to protect it against building development. The criterion of green space accessibility to city residents was indicated as a necessary aspect to be considered in the overall assessment of the existing greenery. The conclusions include the assessment of the actions of the Krakow authorities and the observed trends in the development of public green space.
Highlights
The systemic changes that took place in Poland in the 1990s, i.e., after the collapse of communism, led to the re-establishment of local governments along with their basic unit—the municipality
If municipalities are legally obliged to carry out specific tasks, the state must support them through subsidies or the transfer of some tax revenues
One of the tasks of satisfying the collective needs of a community is to provide urban dwellers with a sufficient amount of public green space that has a positive effect on their health and well-being [5,6,7]
Summary
The systemic changes that took place in Poland in the 1990s, i.e., after the collapse of communism, led to the re-establishment of local governments along with their basic unit—the municipality. There are other administrative units in Poland, including counties, covering a dozen or so municipalities, as well as provinces, consisting of several dozen counties They all form the local government system. In post-communist countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Romania, the tasks of municipalities are specified in the acts under which these municipalities were established (Table 1). Countries such as the Netherlands or Norway, where the ideas of local government have had the chance to develop for longer, Sustainability 2021, 13, 538.
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