The Perspectives Of The Cities Evolution In Poland

Abstract

Urban development is determined not only by geographical and demographic factors, but also by economic, social, systemic, and legal ones. The process of granting town statutes and privileges in the Middle Ages and implementation of the Magdeburg rights were crucial for the foundation of cities in Poland. Cities were distinguished from settlement units by having borough rights. The modern age was a period of decline in the political importance of cities and then their destruction, especially during the Swedish Deluge. The restoration, which began in the mid-18th century, was interrupted by the partitions of Poland. During the partitions period, Polish cities were only provincial city centres of other foreign countries, but in Lodz, for example, industry flourished. Interwar Poland is a period when new ties developed between existing urban units, but after the Second World War the borders were moved westward. The socialist system did not enable establishing strong functional links between regions, but it was a period of industrialisation and urbanisation. The administrative reform of 1975 created a unique polycentric arrangement of 49 cities as capitals of voivodeships (provinces). The political transformation after 1989 and the economic and social changes led to a crisis in small and medium-sized cities. The costly reform of 1999 exacerbated this problem by favouring metropolitan areas and the capital city of Warsaw. Currently, it is estimated that 122 small and medium-sized towns and cities in Poland are at risk of depopulation. The solution to this structural collapse could be extensive deglomeration.