Sub-regional service centres in reality and regional planning in Poland / Podregionalne ośrodki obsługi w sferze realnej i planowaniu regionalnym w Polsce

Abstract

Sub-regional centres are defined as towns where the services of the sub-regional level are concentrated. In Poland these are such services that can be located in several towns in a voivodeship (region), but not in every capital of a poviat (county). The transformation of civilization has influenced changes in Christaller’s model of settlement network, but re-gularities are still valid. Models derived from Christaller's Central Place Theory have been used not only in describing reality, but also in planning, e.g. in Germany. In Poland, centres established in the spatial development plans for voivodeships are not used as a tool for the localization of services. The issue of sub-regional centres in Poland defined by sets of services has not been researched recently. Also, the role of a hierarchical service model in regional policy has not yet been researched. Thus, the objectives of the presented research were to verify: 1) whether any regularities of a hierarchical model for the localization of services exist at the sub-regional level in Poland, 2) to what extent regional planning in Poland operates according to a hierarchical model of service. Methods of research included: identification and classification of sub-regional centres (apart from metropolitan areas), which were examined on the basis of four kinds of services, and analysis of spatial development plans for voivodeships. Research shows that some towns can be identified as complete or incomplete sub-regional centres (depending on the extent of equipment provided), and that the levels of hierarchical centres established in the regional plans fail to specify whether those centres are in fact service centres.