The Image of Contemporary Polish SEZ – Spatial Aspects on the Selected Medium-Sized Cities

Abstract

The genesis of the article is an attempt to present a contemporary image of the Polish Special Economic Zones in the selected aspects. The topics presented in this publication are aimed at highlighting the complexity of interactions that are observed in the field of privileged areas, how special economic zones have influenced and continue to affect changes in the Polish economy, labour market, social processes and spatial transformation of the cities and regions. The interdisciplinary nature of the article is a multi-directional attempt to highlight issues related to the functioning of SEZ in Poland. As a result of the analysis of various studies, the publication presents both positive and negative aspects of these zones, an objective summary that covers almost a quarter of a century of the existence of SEZ on the territory of Poland. Currently, SEZ have become one of the symbols of the Polish systemic transformation. They are not at the centre of our attention and yet have a significant impact on the Polish manufacturing industry. SEZ is also another form of the structure and a change of the existing configuration of industrial areas in the cities. The strategic task of the special economic zones was to introduce modern production plants with new production technologies to the Polish reality of the early nineties of the last century, and to change the quality of work, increasing its efficiency. Contemporary urban and suburban space undergoes transformation, changing the purpose of old buildings and establishing new ones, enforcing reconstruction of the existing transport systems, and directing workforce to new routes. It is also a new standard of work space organization: on the one hand, it is based on an old type production system, and on the other, it is closed and isolated. On its site, there are completely different rules and laws, including both tax reliefs for investors and the suspension of employee rights. The author looks at the selected regions of the cities, in which they are located, like Mielec, Świdnica, Oława, Dzierżoniów, Polkowice, Niepołomice or Legnica. The analysis covers both the regional dimension as well as the geographical and human one, on the local scale, referring to the spatial and social conditions.