The spatial dimension of coal phase-out: Exploring economic transformation and city pathways in Poland

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show the process and paths of reindustrialization of (post-) mining towns in the context of the economic transformation of the Katowice conurbation. Moreover, a challenge for post-socialist cities located in old industrial regions is posed by the fact that economic transformations are accompanied by the need for decarbonisation in line with the principles of sustainable development and just transition. The centres selected for detailed research are characterised by different models of economic development – hard coal phase-out or carbon lock-in in the power industry or mining. A functional and spatial approach focused on the investment potential of brownfields was applied. Cartographic analysis methods (for spatial changes) and index methods (for economic changes) were used.The examples of cities show the complexity of the reindustrialization process in the Katowice conurbation, and the paths chosen at the very beginning of the transformation may produce winners and losers. However, can achieving a relatively good economic situation guarantee that it will continue at a later stage of the city's development?